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OF 
THE  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  SACRED  LITERATURE 


The  Gospel  of  John 


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The  Gospel  of  John 


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The  Gospel  of  John 


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EDGAR  JOHNSON  GOODSPEED 


AN  OUTLINE  BIBLE-STUDY  COURSE  OF 
THE  AMERICAN  INSTITUTE  OF  SACRED  LITERATURE 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO  PRESS 
CHICAGO,  ILLINOIS 


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Published  October  191 7 


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The  University  of  Chicago,  Chicago,  III.: 
I  desire  to  be  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Institute,  and  to  receive  the 
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Date 

Remarks 


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FOREWORD  TO  THE  STUDENT 

The  Gospel  of  John  is  perhaps  the  best  loved  and  most  frequently  read  of  any 
of  the  gospels.  Recent  scholarship  has  thrown  much  light  upon  the  authorship 
and  purpose  of  this  gospel  and  the  part  which  it  played  in  the  developing  thought 
and  life  of  the  early  Christians.  Investigation,  although  modifying  some  current 
views  of  this  gospel,  has  added  greatly  to  its  value  as  a  Christian  document. 
Viewed  in  the  light  of  its  origin  and  purpose,  it  becomes  replete  with  life,  not  only 
the  life  of  the  Master  and  his  disciples,  but  with  the  intellectual  and  spiritual 
struggles  of  the  Christians  of  the  hundred  years  following  the  death  of  Jesus. 

This  course  presents  the  gospel  in  the  light  of  recent  scholarship  but  simply 
and  for  the  study  of  individuals  and  groups,  in  the  home,  church,  or  the  com- 
munity. It  is  one  of  the  Outline  Bible-Study  Courses  prepared  by  the  American 
Institute  of  Sacred  Literature,  twelve  similar  courses  being  mentioned  on  a 
preceding  page.  This  course  follows  the  general  method  of  all  the  series,  giving 
a  daily  assignment  for  reading  from  the  Bible,  but  requiring  no  books  of  reference. 

Any  person  paying  fifty  cents  for  this  book  to  a  dealer,  the  publishing  agents, 
the  University  of  Chicago  Press,  or  to  the  headquarters  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Sacred  Literature  directly  or  through  the  leader  of  a  club  is  considered  thereby 
a  member  of  the  Institute  and  may  register  his  name  as  such  by  mail  at  the 
headquarters,  the  University  of  Chicago,  without  further  charge.  Upon  appli- 
cation, question  sheets  containing  all  the  review  questions  printed  in  this  book, 
with  spaces  for  written  answers,  will  be  sent  him.  These  question  sheets  may  be 
filled  out  and  returned  to  the  Institute  for  credit  and  certificate.  Work  is  not 
graded.  The  certificate  is  given  as  a  recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  work  has 
been  done  to  the  best  ability  of  the  student,  which  may  vary  according  to  previous 
preparation  and  general  knowledge  of  the  subject.  In  applying  for  question 
sheets,  the  printed  form  contained  in  this  pamphlet  may  be  used. 

In  the  publication  of  these  courses  it  is  first  of  all  assumed  that  the  work  is 
to  be  'done  by  the  student  and  that  the  leader  of  the  class  is  seeking  to  gather  up 
the  results  of  the  student's  work  rather  than  to  assume  the  attitude  of  a  teacher. 
In  those  groups,  however,  which  are  taught  in  the  fashion  of  a  Sunday  school  or 
other  weekly  class,  in  which  no  work  upon  the  part  of  the  student  can  be  counted 
upon,  the  passages  may  be  read  and  discussed  at  the  class  period.  For  all  groups 
a  special  pamphlet  of  suggestions  to  leaders  is  provided  in  which  special  topics 
for  discussion  are  suggested  and  entertaining  features  for  meetings  of  the  class 
outlined. 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


Whether  working  alone  or  in  a  group,  see  that  your  name  is  registered  at  the 
headquarters  of  the  Institute  and  that  you  are  receiving  all  the  privileges  to  which 
your  membership  entitles  you. 

The  Institute  is  a  department  of  the  University  of  Chicago  through  which 
non-resident  biblical  and  religious  study  courses  are  conducted. 

These  courses  embrace  thorough  correspondence  work  leading  to  University   \ 
credit,  as  well  as  reading  and  study  courses  which  require  less  rigid  work. 

Address  The  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature,  The  University 
of  Chicago,  Chicago,  Illinois. 


INTRODUCTION 

The  first  Christians  had  no  written  Gospel.  When  they  first  came  into 
the  fellowship  of  the  church  they  learned  a  short  compend  of  the  doings  and 
sayings  of  Jesus  which  Paul  calls  the  "tradition"  or  "traditions"  because 
it  was  "handed  down"  from  older  Christians  to  those  who  later  came  into 
the  churches.  Paul  gives  two  quotations  from  this  "tradition"  as  he  knew 
it  (I  Cor.  n :  2,  23;  15 : 3).  Nothing  more  was  needed,  for  early  Christians 
were  more  interested  in  the  glorified  Christ  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  God 
than  in  the  historical  Jesus  of  Galilee,  and  they  were  expecting  his  speedy 
return  on  the  clouds  of  heaven  to  usher  in  the  messianic  regime.  No  one 
thought  of  writing  books.  The  few  letters,  perhaps  twelve  in  all,  which 
have  come  down  to  us  from  the  first  thirty-five  years  of  Christian  history 
were  each  written  to  serve  some  immediate  and  pressing  need,  not  for  pres- 
ervation as  books.  , 

In  the  seventh  decade  of  the  first  century  something  occurred  to  change 
this.  The  earliest  Gospel  was  written.  This  was  not  simply  the  reduction 
to  writing  of  the  familiar  "tradition,"  for  it  does  not  accord  with  the  two 
fragments  of  that  tradition  which  we  find  in  First  Corinthians.  The  earliest 
Gospel  embodies  a  rival  "tradition,"  differing  at  important  points  from  that 
of  Paul.  How  is  this  to  be  explained  ?  And  above  all  how  came  a  Gospel 
to  be  written  at  all  when  men  were  expecting  the  speedy  end  of  the  age  ? 
The  ancient  explanation  was,  that  upon  the  death  of  Peter,  Mark,  who  had 
served  as  his  interpreter  in  his  preaching  among  the  Greek-speaking  congre- 
gations of  the  West,  sought  to  preserve  from  oblivion  the  memorabilia  of 
Jesus  which  he  had  often  heard  Peter  relate,  and  so  committed  them  to 
writing.  This  idea  is  clearly  reflected  in  II  Pet.  1:15,  and  in  Justin  Dialogue 
106 . 3,  and  it  is  expressly  stated  in  a  fragment  of  Papias  preserved  in  Euse- 
bius  Church  History  3.  39.  15.  It  is  not  improbable  that  the  Gospel  of 
Mark  originated  in  this  informal  way,  and  many  of  its  peculiar  traits  are 
thus  explained. 

The  Gospel  of  Mark  with  all  its  limitations  showed  the  churches  how 
useful  a  written  Gospel  might  be,  and  led  to  its  expansion  into  the  Gospel 
of  Matthew,  in  which  much  other  material,  especially  sayings  of  Jesus,  is 

3 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


combined  with  the  material  of  Mark.  Another  effort  to  improve  and  sup- 
plement Mark  was  made  by  Luke,  who  sought  to  produce  an  orderly  his- 
torical record.  These  books  were  much  more  popular  and  influential 
among  early  Christians  than  Mark  was,  probably  because  these  improved 
forms  of  it  appeared  so  soon.  The  Gospel  of  Matthew  was  probably  written 
within  ten  years  after  the  appearance  of  Mark,  and  Matthew  remained  for 
a  long  time  the  favorite  Gospel  of  the  early  church. 

The  defects  of  Mark  were  largely  supplied  in  these  Gospels  that  were 
built  upon  it.  But  they  were  not  wholly  met  even  in  them.  The  Gospel 
was  still  cast  in  highly  Jewish  forms,  although  its  public  was  now  mainly 
gentile.  It  was  not  related  to  contemporary  philosophical  thought  in  any 
way,  and  the  picture  these  Gospels  gave  of  Jesus  was  very  unlike  the 
Christ  of  Paul's  teaching.  Early  in  the  second  century  a  Gospel  was  com- 
posed at  Ephesus  to  supply  these  wants.  It  transplanted  the  Gospel  into 
Greek  soil,  set  it  in  relation  to  Stoicism,  the  leading  philosophy  of  the  time, 
and  represented  Jesus  in  a  way  much  nearer  to  the  Pauline  picture  of  him, 
glorified  at  God's  right  hand.  Opposition  to  contemporary  Judaism  and 
opposition  to  the  sect  of  John  the  Baptist  appear  as  subordinate  motiv.es 
in  the  new  Gospel,  and  there  is  besides  a  strong  symbolic  element  in  it 
which  must  be  taken  account  of. 

A  comparison  of  the  Gospel  with  the  Synoptic1  Gospels  shows  that  the 
writer  is  acquainted  with  them  and  in  a  great  many  instances  makes  use  of 
materials  taken  from  them,  at  the  same  time  that  he  undertakes  in  other 
points  to  supplement  and  even  to  correct  what  they  have  said.  This  and 
the  strongly  Pauline  color  of  the  thought  of  the  Gospel  makes  it  very  difficult 
to  accept  the  testimony  of  the  epilogue  (chap.  21)  that  John  or  any  other 
intimate  personal  follower  of  Jesus  wrote  the  Gospel.  On  the  other  hand, 
there  is  much  to  show  that  valuable  historical  materials  not  supplied  by  the 
synoptists  were  used  by  the  writer,  and  these  may  have  gone  back  to  the 
hand  of  John  the  apostle,  or  John  the  disciple,  if,  as  is  sometimes  supposed, 
they  were  different  men.  But  this  Gospel  is  to  be  viewed  less  as  a  his- 
torical account  of  the  ministry  of  Jesus  than  as  the  writer's  effort  to  inter- 
pret his  own  profound  experience  of  the  religious  significance  of  Jesus  for 
other  men  of  his  own  world  of  ideas.  His  aim  is  in  large  part  theological, 
and  so  he  came  to  be  known  in  .the  early  church  as  "  St.  John  the 
Theologian." 

1  Matthew,  Mark,  and  Luke  are  called  the  Synoptic  gospels. 


INTRODUCTION  5 


The  purpose  of  the  Gospel  is  stated  in  its  closing  sentences  to  be  that 
its'  readers  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ  and  that  they  may  thus 
come  to  have  life  in  his  name.  Its  conception  of  faith  and  salvation  seems 
sometimes  wholly  intellectual  (belief  that  Jesus  is  the  Christ),  sometimes 
wholly  mystical  (a  life  of  inward  union  with  him).  We  are  to  think  of  it 
as  designed  to  promote  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Christ  and  the  source  of  spiritual 
life,  and  to  reinterpret  the  religious  significance  of  Jesus  in  broader  terms 
which  should  be  more  readily  intelligible  to  its  own  day. 

In  doing  this  it  sometimes  departs  widely  from  the  synoptists  and  even 
from  Paul.  They  had  taught  that  Jesus  must  return  to  complete  his  mes- 
sianic work.1  The  new  Gospel  declares  that  he  finished  his  work  on  earth, 
and  that  his  promised  return  has  already  taken  place  in  the  coming  of  the 
Spirit,  the  comforter,  into  the  hearts  of  believers.  Matthew  and  Luke 
seek  to  explain  his  divine  nature  by  the  virgin  birth.  The  new  Gospel 
explains  it  in  a  loftier  way  by  finding  in  him  the  eternal  divine  Word  (Logos) 
made  flesh.  Paul  had  greatly  emphasized  the  death  of  Jesus.  The  new 
Gospel  finds  his  supreme  significance  in  his  life,  in  which  the  divine  life  was 
manifested.  This  idea,  which  we  call  the  incarnation,  is  really  central  in 
this  Gospel.  ■  Not  less  striking  is  its  emphasis  upon  the  universal  character 
of  Christianity:  Jesus  is  not  simply  the  Messiah  of  the  Jews,  but,  as  the 
divine  Logos,  is  the  source  of  true  life  for  all  mankind.  It  has,  moreover, 
a  splendid  ideal  of  the  possibilities  of  Christian  development  under  the 
influence  of  the  life  of  God  which  may  be  shared  through  union  with  Christ. 
"Its  great  ideas  of  revelation,  life,  love,  truth,  and  freedom,  its  doctrine  of 
the  Spirit  as  ever  guiding  the  Christian  consciousness  into  larger  vision  and 
achievement,  and  its  insistence  upon  Jesus  as  the  supreme  revelation  of 
God  and  the  source  of  spiritual  life  have  given  it  unique  and  permanent 
religious  worth."2 

1  Read  Ernest  F.  Scott,  The  Historical  and  Religious  Value  of  the  Fourth  Gospel; 
Modem  Religious  Problems  (Houghton  Mifflin  Co.,  1909);  Edgar  J.  Goodspeed,  The 
Story  of  the  New  Testament,  chap,  xvii  (The  University  of  Chicago  Press,  1916). 

2  The  Story  of  the  New  Testament,  p.  123.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  author  to  present 
this  course  so  simply  that  no  reference  books  will  be  required.  For  the  benefit  of  those 
who  wish  to  make  the  work  more  comprehensive,  books  will  be  mentioned  from  time  to 
time. 


THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


STUDY  I 

THE  PROLOGUE  (JOHN  1:1-18);    THE  PERIOD  OF 
BEGINNINGS  (1:19—4:54) 

First  day. — §  1.  The  prologue.  Read  John  1 : 1-18  through  and  note  in  it  the 
expression  of  the  great  ideas  of  the  Gospel,  incarnation,  revelation,  regeneration, 
communication  of  Life.  Religion  has  been  described  as  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul 
of  man.    Does  this  throw  any  light  upon  these  leading  ideas  ? 

Second  day. — Read  John  1:1-2.  Cf.  Gen.  1:1.  Does  the  evangelist  inten- 
tionally begin  his  Gospel  with  the  opening  words  of  Genesis  ?  Is  the  "Word "  the 
prophetic  revelatory  word  of  Jehovah  which  came  to  the  prophets  (Jer.  1:4;  Joel 
1:1,  etc.)  or  the  metaphysical  "word"  or  Logos  (reason)  of  Stoic  philosophy,  or 
are  these  identified  by  the  writer,  as  they  were  by  Philo  of  Alexandria  fifty  years 
before  ?  In  any  case,  what  is  the  meaning  of  finding  in  Jesus  the  embodiment  of 
the  Word  ? 

Third  day. — Read  John  1:3.  Compare  the  idea  of  Christ  in  creation  in  Heb. 
1:2  and  especially  in  Col.  1:15-17.  Colossians  has  been  called  "the  connecting 
link  between  the  Pauline  writings  and  the  Fourth  Gospel."    Why? 

Fourth  day. — Read  John  1 : 4.  The  Word  was  not  only  the  medium  of  crea- 
tion, it  was  the  source  of  life  and  light  for  men.  Life  means  in  John  the  divine 
life,  and  light  means  truth,  or  divine  reality.  The  attainment  of  this  higher  life 
admits  one  to  the  light,  the  divine  reality. 

Fifth  day. — Read  John  1:5.  The  description  of  the  Word  as  the  seat  of  light 
is  a  way  of  saying  that  God  had  always  been  seeking  to  reveal  himself  to  men. 
Light  by  its  very  nature  tends  to  show  itself.  "Involved  in  God's  inmost  nature 
there  was  the  will  to  shine  forth  and  communicate  himself  to  his  creatures" 
(Scott).  What  in  view  of  these  facts  is  meant  by  "The  darkness  apprehended 
[i.e.,  admitted,  appropriated]  it  not"?  Sum  up  for  yourself  the  conception  of 
the  Logos  gathered  from  those  five  verses. 

Sixth  day. — Read  John  1:6-8.  John  the  Baptist  is  introduced  as  though 
already  known  to  the  reader.  What  is  affirmed  of  him  in  these  verses  ?  What 
would  this  mean  for  any  who  still  followed  John's  baptism  without  having  accepted 
Jesus  ?  Cf .  Acts  18:25;  19:3.  Does  this  definite  subordination  of  John  to  Jesus 
appear  again  in  John  ?     Cf.  1 :  20,  27,  29,  33,  36. 

Seventh  day. — Read  John  1 : 9-1 1 .  The  identification  of  Jesus  with  the  light 
already  suggested  in  vs.  7  is  now  made  more  explicit.    The  evangelist  forecasts 


THE  PERIOD  OF  BEGINNINGS 


the  rejection  of  Jesus,  which  he  is  to  describe  more  fully  later  in  his  Gospel.  A 
special  sense  often  attaches  to  the  word  "world"  in  John.  What  is  it?  Cf. 
15:19;  16:20;  17:14,  16,  25,  etc.  Vs.  11  might  be  rendered,  "He  came  home, 
and  they  that  were  his  own  received  him  not." 

Eighth  day. — Read  John  1:12,  13.  A  description  of  the  Christian  salvation 
as  the  writer  conceives  it,  that  is,  as  the  attainment  through  Christ  of  the  life  of 
God,  whose  sons  men  thus  become.  What  great  idea  of  this  Gospel  appears  in 
these  verses  ? 

Ninth  day. — Read  John  1 :  14.  Is  this  a  restatement  in  other  terms  of  the 
thought  of  vss.  9  and  n?  What,  if  anything,  does  it  add  to  them  ?  What  great 
characteristic  idea  of  this  Gospel  is  expressed  here  ?  Truth  is  also  a  character- 
istic word  of  this  Gospel.  Compare  the  parenthesis  with  John  1:2.  "Only 
begotten":  While  all  men  may  become  sons  of  God,  the  evangelist  wishes  to 
emphasize  the  idea  that  Jesus  was  in  a  unique  sense  the  son  of  God.  Does  Jesus 
continue  to  be  described  in  this  Gospel  as  the  Word  or  is  he  generally  described 
as  the  Son  of  God  ?  Did  Paul  often  refer  to  him  in  this  latter  way  ?  Did  the 
Synoptic  Gospels  do  so? 

Tenth  day. — Read  John  1:15.  The  testimony  of  John  the  Baptist  already 
mentioned  in  vs.  6  is  now  given  in  a  form  reminiscent  of  the  synoptists,  Mark 
1:7;  Matt.  3:11;  Luke  3 :  16,  and  anticipatory  of  John  1 :  33, 34.  Justin  mentions 
Baptists  (referring  to  John  the  Baptist)  among  the  Jewish  sects  {Dial.  80.  4) 
and  even  in  the  third  century  the  Clementine  Recognitions  speak  of  persons  who 
proclaim  John  to  be  the  Messiah.  It  is  in  opposition  to  such  views  that  this 
summary  interpretation  of  John's  testimony  to  Jesus  is  given. 

Eleventh  day. — Read  John  1:16,  17.  These  verses  resume  the  thought  of 
1:14,  "full  of  grace  and  truth."  Jesus  is  the  medium  through  whom  we  have 
received  the  divine  life.  Grace,  a  word  not  used  in  Matthew  or  Mark  but  very 
frequently  by  Paul,  occurs  only  in  1:14-17  in  John.  It  thus  links  to  Paul's 
emphasis  of  grace  its  own  emphasis  of  truth.  Vs.  16  contrasts  the  two  dispensa- 
tions: the  Law  and  Grace.  Does  the  evangelist  reflect  upon  the  Law  (cf.  1:46; 
3:14;  5 :  45) ,  or  upon  the  Jewish  scriptures  (cf .  5:39;  10:35)? 

Twelfth  day. — Read  John  1 :  18.  What  light  does  this  verse  throw  upon  the 
writer's  view  of  the  Mosaic  Law,  in  contrast  with  Christian  truth  ?  What  great 
idea  is  set  forth  in  this  verse  ?  Reread  carefully  vss.  1-18.  What  are  the  leading 
ideas  and  the  great  words  of  this  prologue?  What  view  of  the  gospel  does  it 
present?  How  does  it  view  Christian  salvation?  In  what  does  this  consist? 
What  does  it  regard  as  the  religious  significance  of  Jesus  ?  By  what  titles  does  it 
designate  him?  What  are  the  sources -of  these  titles?  There  has  been  much 
discussion  of  the  question  whether  the  ideas  of  the  prologue  characterize  the 
Gospel  as  a  whole,  or  play  little  part  in  the  further  development  of  the  writer's 
thought.     Keep  this  question  in  mind  as  you  advance. 


8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


Thirteenth  day. — §  2.  The  testimony  of  John  and  the  beginnings  of  faith  in 
Jesus:  John  1 :  19-28.  The  significance  of  John  for  the  evangelist  is  wholly  that 
of  a  witness  to  the  light:  cf.  1:7,  15  above.  What  does  this  add  to  Mark  1:3,  7 ; 
Matt.  11:3?  The  Clementine  Recognitions,  already  referred  to,  say  (1:60): 
"Then  one  of  the  disciples  of  John  asserted  that  John  was  the  Christ,  and  not 
Jesus,  inasmuch  as  Jesus 'himself  declared  that  John  was  greater  than  all  the 
prophets."  "Some  even  of  the  disciples  of  John  who  seemed  to  be  great  ones 
have  separated  themselves  and  proclaimed  their  own  master  as  the  Christ" 
(1:54).  Observe  the  way  in  which  the  Jews  are  spoken  of  in  vs.  19  as  over 
against  John  and  Jesus  and  their  followers,  though  these  were  all  alike  Jews. 
What  does  this  suggest  as  to  the  relations  of  Jews  and  Christians  when  this  Gospel 
was  written  ?     Were  many  Jews  Christians  ? 

Fourteenth  day. — Read  John  1:29-34.  How  does  this  compare  with  1:15? 
The  evangelist  understands  John  to  have  been  a  witness  of  Jesus'  baptismal 
experience.  What  is  meant  by  describing  Jesus  as  the  Lamb  of  God  ?  We  shall 
observe  later  that  the  evangelist  puts  the  date  of  the  crucifixion  on  the  afternoon 
on  which  the  Passover  lamb  was  sacrificed.-  Note  the  words  of  Paul  in  I  Cor. 
5:7:  "For  our  Passover  also  hath  been  sacrificed,  even  Christ."  The  death 
of  Christ  as  the  basis  of  atonement  is  strongly  emphasized  in  Paul's  thought, 
though  he  also  has  the  conception  of  the  life  of  Christ  as  the  source  of  moral  power 
and  the  basis  of  salvation  (Gal.  2:20;  Rom.  5:10).  How  is  it  with  the  Gospel 
of  John  ?  Does  the  evangelist  transfer  the  emphasis  from  the  death,  of  which  he 
still  speaks,  to  the  life  of  Christ?  The  term  "Lamb"  is  frequently  applied  to 
Christ  in  the  Revelation,  though  the  Greek  word  there  used  is  not  the  one 
employed  here  and  in  vs.  36.  Note  that  John  finally  bears  witness  that  Jesus 
is  the  Son  of  God  (vs.  34). 

Fifteenth  day. — Read  John  1:35-42.  John  directs  two  of  his  own  followers 
to  Jesus,  again  calling  him  the  Lamb  of  God.  How  would  this  affect  the  claim 
of  later  followers  of  John  that  he  and  not  Jesus  was  the  Christ  ?  How  does  this 
story  relate  to  the  call  of  Simon  and  Andrew  in  Mark  1:16-18?  How  does  it 
relate  to  the  story  of  Peter's  confession  at  Caesarea  Philippi,  "  Thou  art  the  Christ " 
(Mark  8: 29)  ?  Matthew  connects  Simon's  new  name  Peter  with  that  confession 
(Matt.  16:18).  Both  John  and  Matthew  thus  explain  the  fact  briefly  stated  in 
Mark  3:16.  In  the  synoptists  the  disciples  come  gradually  to  the  conviction  that 
Jesus  is  Messiah.    How  is  it  in  John  ?    Note  especially  vs.  41. 

Sixteenth  day. — §3.  Read  John  1:43-51.  Notice  that  in  some  particulars 
this  paragraph  supplements  and  in  others  corrects  the  information  given  by  the 
synoptists.  Jesus  is  called  the  son  of  Joseph  (vs.  45).  Does  the  Fourth  Gospel 
show  any  acquaintance  with  the  Virgin  birth  of  Jesus,  recorded  in  Matthew  and 
Luke  ?  Or  does  it  conceive  his  sonship  to  God  in  a  much  loftier  way,  the  incar- 
nation of  the  eternal  divine  Word  in  Jesus?    Notice  Jesus'  recommendation  of 


THE  PERIOD  OF  BEGINNINGS 


Nathanael  as  an  Israelite  of  the  highest  type.  This  frank  approval  of  much  that 
was  Jewish  runs  through  the  Gospel  along  with  a  vigorous  protest  against  Judaism. 
True  to  his  doctrine  of  the  nature  of  Jesus,  the  evangelist  views  Jesus  as  sharing 
God's  omniscience,  "He  knew  what  was  in  man"  (2:25),  and  his  disclosure  of 
this  knowledge  to  Nathanael  at  once  convinces  him  of  Jesus'  messiahship,  which 
is  stated  in  both  the  Jewish  and  the  Pauline  way.  The  familiar  synoptic  term 
Son  of  Man  is  here  used,  as  usually  in  this  Gospel,  to  suggest  Jesus'  human  nature 
in  close  connection  with  his  higher  nature  soon  to  be  revealed. 

^Seventeenth  day. — §  4.  Read  John  2:1-12.  This  incident  is  perhaps  suggested 
by  the  reference  to  the  marriage  celebration  and  the  new  and  old  wine  in  Mark 
2 :  18-22.  The  writer  records  it  as  the  first  of  a  series  of  seven  " signs"  or  wonders 
of  divine  power  wrought  by  Jesus.  But  side  by  side  with  its  evidential  value  the 
story  has  a  symbolic  meaning:  it  symbolizes  the  purpose  and  power  of  Jesus  to 
transform  man's  nature  into  the  higher  diviner  nature.  Jesus'  mother  appears 
here  in  an  attitude  of  approval  and  sympathy  with  his  work  which  is  nowhere 
suggested  in  the  synoptists.  In  some  passages  of  John  the  Mother  of  Jesus  seems 
to  symbolize  the  older  Jewish  faith  from  which  Christianity  had  sprung.  How 
would  this  apply  here?  The  reference  to  Capernaum,  vs.  12,  brings  us  for  the 
first  time  into  scenes  familiar  in  the  Synoptic  Gospels. 

Eighteenth  day. — Reread  John  1:19 — 2:12,  noting  John's  attitude  to  Jesus, 
Jesus'  first  disciples,  the  kind  of  knowledge  and  power  he  displays,  and  the  titles 
applied  to  him.  What  ideas  of  the  prologue  have  reappeared  in  these  verses? 
How  does  the  miracle  at  Cana  compare  with  Jesus'-  wonders  in  Mark  ?  Is  it 
like  most  of  them  an  illustration  of  Jesus'  attitude  of  helpfulness  and  compassion  ? 
Is  it  like  some  of  them  capable  of  a  natural  explanation  ? 

Nineteenth  day. — §5.  Jesus  in  Jerusalem  and  Judea:  John  2:13 — 3:36. 
Read  John  2:13-22.  What  is  the  subject  of  this  narrative?  Where  in  Jesus' 
ministry  do  the  synoptists  place  this  event,  or  a  similar  one  ?  How  does  such 
an  act  at  the  outset  of  Jesus'  work  contribute  to  the  evangelist's  picture  of  the 
masterfulness  of  Jesus  ?  With  vs.  19  compare  Mark  14: 58.  In  vs.  20  the  trans- 
lation, "Forty-six  years  has  this  temple  been  building,"  would  better  correspond 
to  the  facts.  Herod's  temple  was  not  wholly  completed  in  Jesus'  day.  It  was 
begun  in  the  eighteenth  year  of  Herod  the  Great,  and  forty-six  years  later  would 
bring  us  to  27  a.d.  Notice  the  evangelist's  interest  in  the  fulfilment  of  Old 
Testament  prophecy  in  Jesus,  and  in  the  fulfilment  of  Jesus'  own  predictions. 
What  is  "the  scripture"  referred  to  in  vs.  22  ?     Is  it  Hos.  6:2? 

Twentieth  day. — §  6.  Read  John  2 :  23-25.  The  passover  spoken  of  here  and 
in  vs.  13  is  the  first  one  mentioned  in  John.  How  many  are  mentioned  in  all  in  this 
Gospel  ?  Cf .  6 : 4,  1 1 :  55,  and  perhaps  5:1.  Why  was  the  faith  of  these  Jerusalem 
believers  defective  ?  How  does  the  evangelist  generally  regard  faith  based  upon 
"signs,"  that  is,  displays  of  Jesus'  supernatural  power?     Cf.  2:11;  4:48;  6:26. 


IO  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


Note  the  emphasis  upon  Jesus'  divine  knowledge,  already  implied  in  i :  48.  Is  this 
a  part  of  his  Logos-nature?  What  other  reflection  of  that  doctrine  have  you 
observed  since  the  prologue  ? 

Twenty-first  day. — §  7.  Read  John  3: 1-15.  What  great  idea  of  this  Gospel 
is  set  forth  in  this  conversation?  How  far  is  it  implicit  in  Matt.  18:3  ?  What 
light  does  it  throw  on  John's  conception  of  salvation  ?  Is  the  new  birth  a  renewing 
of  the  moral  nature,  or  a  transition  from  mere  natural  existence  to  participation 
in  the  divine  life  ?  Is  sin  a  positive  thing  in  John,  or  is  it  negative,  the  mere  ab- 
sence of  this  higher  divine  life  ?  Mysterious  as  it  is  (vs.  8),  it  is  the  testimony  of 
experience  (vs.  n)  that  through  Jesus  men  do  come  into  a  new  life,  with  new 
thoughts,  motives,  and  aspirations.  Stripped  of  its  metaphysical  dress,  this  is 
the  fundamental  meaning  of  John's  doctrine.    Is  it  still  true  today  ? 

Twenty-second  day. — §  8.  Read  John  3:16-21.  These  verses  are  the  evan- 
gelist's meditative  comment  upon  the  discourse  of  Jesus  just  recorded.  The  theme 
of  this  paragraph  has  been  described  as  "the  motive  and  effect  of  divine  revelation 
in  the  Son"  (Burton).  What  was  the  motive,  and  what  the  effect,  according  to 
these  verses? 

Twenty-third  day. — §9.  Read  John  3:22-30.  That  a  Judean  ministry 
preceded  the  Galilean  ministry  of  Jesus  is  one  of  the  striking  differences  of  John's 
narrative  from  that  of  the  synoptists.  What  is  the  significance  for  the  purposes 
the  evangelist  has  in  view  of  the  words  of  John  the  Baptist  in  vss.  27-30  ?  What, 
if  anything,  do  they  add  to  John's  previous  testimonies  to  Jesus  ? 

Twenty-fourth  day. — §  10.  Read  John  3:31-36.  A  meditative  comment  of 
the  evangelist,  analogous  with  the  prologue  and  3:16-21.  In  such  passages  this 
Gospel  shows  close  kinship  with  I  John;  cf.,  e.g.,  I  John  5 : 1-12.  The  subject  of  the 
paragraph  has  been  described  as  "the  supreme  character  of  the  revelation  in  the 
Son"  (Burton).  How  does  it  describe  salvation  ?  What  does  it  say  of  Jesus  as  life- 
giver?  Vs.  346,  "for  he  giveth  him  not  the  Spirit  by  measure,"  is  significant: 
"The  whole  work  of  Jesus  as  conceived  by  John  is  bound  up  with  the  presupposi- 
tion that  a  divine  Spirit,  active  from  the  beginning,  was  now  finally  revealed  in 
him"  (Scott).  Or  is  the  evangelist's  thought  that  while  the  Word  was  from  the 
beginning,  the  Spirit  was  not  yet  ? 

Twenty-fifth  day. — §  11.  Jesus  in  Samaria,  and  his  return  to  Galilee:  John 
4: 1-54.  Read  John  4: 1-3.  Note  the  emphasis  on  baptism,  already  in  the  evan- 
gelist's day  an  established  rite  of  the  church  (cf.  3: 22),  as  practiced  by  Jesus,  or 
at  least  by  his  disciples  under  his  direction.  How  does  the  evangelist  account 
for  Jesus'  departure  from  Judea?  How  does  4:1  bear  upon  the  rival  sect  of 
followers  of  John  the  Baptist  ?    Cf .  3 :  30. 

Twenty-sixth  day. — Read  John  4:4-12.  The  earlier  Gospels  describe  Jesus 
as  working  almost  exclusively  among  Jews.  But  Christianity  had  now  become 
a  movement  almost  wholly  gentile.     Notice  that  this  story  describes  Jesus  as 


THE  PERIOD  OF  BEGINNINGS  1 1 

interested  from  the  first  in  Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews,  and  thus  gives  his  personal 
work  a  wider  scope,  in  line  with  the  subsequent  expansion  of  the  church.  On  this 
universal  element  in  John,  cf.  3 :  15-17.  It  is  of  course  involved  in  the  conception 
of  Jesus  as  the  divine  Word;  which  relates  him  not  simply  to  the  Jewish  nation 
but  to  all  mankind.  In  John  "  the  universal  nature  of  Christianity  is  more  fully 
recognized  than  in  any  other  New  Testament  book"  (Scott).  Notice  also 
the  idea  of  salvation  as  eternal  life,  vs.  14;  and  of  Jesus  as  the  giver  of  it, 
vss.  10, 13;  the  supernatural  knowledge  of  Jesus,  vss.  16-19;  the  respect  expressed 
for  the  Jewish  religion,  vs.  22;  and  especially  the  assertion  of  the  spiritual 
nature  of  religion,  vss.  23,  24.  This  divine  Word  is  the  Messiah  of  Judaism, 
vss.  25,  26. 

Twenty-seventh  day. — Read  John  4:27-38.  Vs.  27  reflects  the  severe  dignity 
of  Jesus;  the  disciples,  although  surprised,  do  not  venture  to  question  him.  This 
is  characteristic  of  the  picture  of  Jesus  in  this  Gospel,  in  marked  contrast  with  the 
synoptists;,  cf.  2:3,  4  where  he  acts,  not  at  another's  direction,  but  only  in  his 
own  time.  Vs.  34  brings  out  the  sonship  of  Jesus,  not  in  its  philosophical,  but 
in  its  religious  and  moral  aspects.  This  is  the  view  of  his  sonship  brought  out 
in  the  earlier  Gospels.  Jesus  supremely  loved,  trusted,  and  obeyed  God  as  his 
Father,  and  this  experience  made  his  life  a  revelation  of  God  to  men.  Does  modern 
experience  confirm  this  side  of  John's  view  of  Jesus  ? 

Twenty-eighth  day. — Read  John  4:39-42.  Note  that  many  Samaritans 
believe  on  Jesus.  In  this  story,  "the  later  mission  to  Samaria  is  prefigured  and 
at  the  same  time  justified;  for  it  is  on  this  soil,  where  the  church  was  first  to  take 
root  among  an  alien  people,  that  Jesus  makes  his  great  declaration  of  the  uni- 
versality of  his  religion"  (Scott);  cf.  Acts  8:5,  6.  Notice  the  emphasis  upon  the 
universal  significance  of  Jesus  as  not  simply  the  Jewish  Messiah,  but  Savior  of  the 
world. 

Twenty-ninth  day. — §  12.  Read  John  4:43-54.  Notice  the  supernatural 
power  ascribed  in  this  story  to  Jesus:  he  heals  the  child  at  a  distance,  and  with  a 
word.  Compare  with  this  the  healing  of  the  centurion's  servant  (Matt.  8:5-13), 
where  the  strength  of  the  faith  of  the  gentile  centurion  is  brought  out.  This 
story  emphasizes  the  sheer  power  of  Jesus  as  divine  Word.  The  designation  of 
this  as  "the  second  sign  that  Jesus  did"  is  a  further  hint  (cf.  2:11)  that  the  reader 
is  to  observe  the  number  of  signs,  seven,  recorded  in  the  Gospel. 

Thirtieth  day. — As  you  look  back  over  this  first  part  of  the  Gospel,  1 :  19 — 4: 54, 
what  great  ideas  of  this  Gospel  do  you  find  brought  out  in  it  ?  What  elements 
in  it  bear  upon  the  development  of  the  church,  its  scope  and  institutions  ?  What 
upon  the  relation  of  the  church. to  Judaism  and  the  sect  of  John?  What  upon 
the  character  of  Jesus  as  Son  and  Word?  What  upon  the  meaning  of  sin  and 
salvation  ? 


12  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


QUESTIONS   FOR  REVIEW 

i.  What  were  the  Synoptic  Gospels  ? 

2.  Approximately  when,  why,  and  by  whom  were  they  written  ?    (a)  Mark  ? 
(b)  Matthew  ?    (c)  Luke  ? 

3.  About  when  did  the  Gospel  of  John  appear? 

4.  Name  one  or  more  of  the  purposes  of  its  author. 

5.  What  great  Christian  doctrines  does  the  prologue  of  this  Gospel  suggest  ? 

6.  Name  a  passage  from  your  study  which  presents  any  one  of  these  doctrines. 

7.  What  do  you  understand  by  the  term  "Logos"  ? 

8.  By  what  titles  does  this  Gospel  designate  Jesus,  and  why? 

9.  With  what  result  does  this  Gospel  repeatedly  contrast  Jesus  and  John 
the  Baptist  ? 

'    10.  Why  does  the  author  consider  this  desirable  ? 

11.  How  does  this  Gospel  differ  from  the  others  in  its  statements  concerning 
the  time  of  the  revelation  of  the  messiahship  of  Jesus  ? 

12.  Why  does  not  John,  as  Luke,  emphasize  the  stories  of  the  Virgin  birth? 

13.  What  philosophy  has  he  concerning  the  object  of  the  miracles  of  Jesus? 

14.  Tell  the  story  of  one  of  these  early  miracles,  as  given  by  John,  and  show 
how  it  illustrates  his  theory  as  above. 

15.  How  would  you  describe  John's  idea  of  salvation  ? 

16.  Give  a  summary  of  John  the  Baptist's  testimony  to  Jesus  as  presented 
in  this  Gospel. 

'  17.  What  institutions  of  the  church  are  reflected  in  John? 

18.  Name  some  evidences  that  at  the  end  of  the  first  century  Jesus  was 
regarded  by  Christians  as  the  Savior  of  the  world  as  well  as  the  Jewish  Messiah. 

19.  What  was  Judaism,  and  what  was  Christianity's  relation  to  it  at  this  time  ? 

20.  What  does  this  preliminary  study  suggest  that  you  will  find  in  this  Gospel  ? 


THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  13 


STUDY  II 

THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  (5:1—8:59)  (1) 

First  day. — §  13.  Read  John  5:  i-ga.  The  feast  mentioned  was  perhaps  the 
Feast  of  Purim,  which  commemorated  the  deliverance  of  the  Jews  recorded  in 
Esther,  and  fell  in  March  a  few  weeks  before  the  Passover.  The  pool  of  Bethesda 
has  been  variously  identified  in  modern  times.  It  was  evidently  fed  by  an  inter- 
mittent spring,  to  the  flowing  of  which  healing  qualities  were  popularly  ascribed. 
Notice  that  the  man's  sickness  is  a  settled  condition  of  long  standing.  This  makes 
his  cure  all  the  more  wonderful.  How  does  this  contribute  to  the  author's  purpose 
in  recording  Jesus'  wonders  ? 

Second  day. — Read  John  5:96-18.  The  Jews  are  less  interested  in  the  man's 
restoration  to  health  than  in  the  infringement  of  the  Sabbath  law  as  they  interpreted 
it,  involved  in  his  carrying  about  the  slight  bed,  probably  no  more  than  a  thin 
mattress,  on  which  he  had  been  lying.  Note  that  Jesus  voluntarily  presents  him- 
self, and  defends  his  action  by  the  bold  claim  that  he  works  as  God  his  Father  does. 
God  does  not  refrain  from  works  of  beneficence  and  mercy  on  the  Sabbath,  and  Jesus 
does  not.  This  idea  that  Jesus'  activity  reflects  that  of  God  is  in  full  accord  with 
his  Logos-nature  and  may  be  considered  the  theme  of  the  discourse,  5:19-47,  that 
follows.  It  recalls  the  idea  of  the  Jewish  philosopher  Philo,  "  that  God  never  ceases 
the  work  of  creation  which  he  accomplishes  through  the  agency  of  the  Word." 
Jesus'  claim  of  sonship  to  God  gives  still  deeper  offense  to  the  Jews. 

Third  day. — Read  John  5:19-29.  Note  in  this  paragraph:  (1)  the  subordi- 
nation of  the  Son  to  the  Father,  vs.  19 ;  (2)  the  possession  by  the  Son  as  Word  of  the 
divine  quality  of  self -existent  life,  vs.  26;  (3)  the  messianic  judgment  committed 
to  the  Son  is  not  wholly  future,  but  has  in  a  sense  already  taken  place  in  the  revela- 
tion of  the  Son;  faced  by  this  revelation  men  condemn  or  acquit  themselves  by  the 
attitudes  they  assume  toward  it;  (4)  the  Son  is  the  supreme  life-giver,  vss.  21,  24. 

Fourth  day. — Read  John  5:30-47.  Note  that  in  ys.  30  Jesus'  relation  to  the 
Father  is  described  as  in  the  earlier  Gospels  as  a  personal  relationship  of  self- 
forgetful  obedience.  The  idea  of  witness  is  prominent  in  the  Gospel  of  John. 
Observe  the  various  kinds  of  witness  mentioned  in  this  paragraph  as  borne  to  Jesus. 

Fifth  day. — Of  the  two  ideas  of  sonship  expressed  in  chap.  5,  which  do  you  find 
more  religiously  helpful,  the  philosophical  one,  or  the  moral  and  religious  one  ?  In 
the  evangelist's  efforts  to  interpret  his  inward  experience  of  the  religious  significance 
of  Jesus,  he  describes  him  as  the  life-giver  and  finds  the  source  of  the  life  he  imparts 


14  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


in  Jesus'  own  life.  Does  modern  religious  experience  corroborate  this  teaching  in 
its  practical  aspects  ? 

Sixth  day. — §  14.  Read  John  6:1-13.  In  this  narrative,  it  will  be  seen,  the 
evangelist  is  following  closely  a  narrative  of  the  earlier  Gospels,  Matt.  14:13-23; 
Mark  6:30-46;  Luke  9:10-17,  chosen  as  one  of  the  most  notable  wonders  they 
record.  Observe  the  picture  of  Jesus  as  acting  at  the  marriage  in  Cana  on  his  own 
motion,  not  at  the  suggestion  of  others,  vs.  6. 

Seventh  day. — Read  John  6: 14,  15.  The  people  who  were  fed  accept  the  feed- 
ing as  a  sign  that  Jesus  is  the  long-expected  prophet  (cf.  7:40,  41),  but  they  under- 
stand by  that  that  he  is  to  be  their  political  deliverer  and  ruler.  Jesus  thwarts  their 
shortsighted  purpose  by  withdrawing.  To  head  a  political  uprising  would  defeat 
his  mission  and  lead  only  to  disaster  for  all  concerned.  The  point  of  these  verses 
in  the  progress  of  the  narrative  is  that,  while  these  people  have  a  kind  of  faith  in 
Jesus,  it  is  not  the  true  and  full  kind. 

Eighth  day. — Read  John  6: 16-21.  This  narrative,  like  the  Feeding  of  the  Five 
Thousand,  is  drawn  from  the  earlier  Gospels  (Matt.  14:24-36;  Mark  6:47-56). 
It  is  selected  because  of  its  striking  picture  of  the  power  of  Jesus,  rather  than  as  an 
expression  of  mercy  or  compassion  on  his  part. 

Ninth  day. — Read  John  6: 22-27.  The  multitude  from  whom  Jesus  had  with- 
drawn after  the  Feeding  of  the  Five  Thousand  now  follows  and  overtakes  him. 
They  wonder  how  he  can  have  crossed  the  lake  without  their  knowledge,  but  he 
turns  at  once  to  the  motive  of  their  quest.  They  have  chosen  the  lower  benefit 
instead  of  the  higher  one  he  can  give  them,  eternal  life.  They  have  too  low  and 
material  airldea  of  messiahship  and  of  the  blessings  he  can  bestow. 

Tenth  day. — Read  John  6:28-33.  The  miracle  of  the  loaves  and  fishes  now 
becomes  the  text  for  a  discourse  on  the  bread  of  life,  much  as  in  the  last  chapter  the 
miracle  of  the  healing  of  the  sick  man  led  to  the  discourse  on  Jesus'  relation  to  his 
Father.  The  ordinance  of  the  Lord's  Supper  is  also  in  the  evangelist's  mind,  and 
it  is  his  intention  to  defend  it  from  the  Jewish  attacks  of  his  time  and  to  correct  and 
elevate  the  Christian  idea  of  it  by  emphasizing  its  symbolic  character.  It  is  made 
to  commemorate,  not  simply  Jesus'  last  supper  with  his  disciples,  but  his  whole  life 
and  teaching,  conceived  as  spiritual  food  for  the  life  of  men. 

Eleventh  day. — Read  John  6 :  34-40.  This  Gospel  gives  no  account  of  the  insti- 
tution of  the  Lord's  Supper  and  relates  it,  not  to  the  last  meal  of  Jesus  with  his 
disciples,  but  to  his  whole  life-giving  ministry.  "I  am  the  bread  of  life";  cf.  Mark 
14: 22.  How  would  you  express  the  relation  of  Jesus  to  God  described  in  vs.  38  ? 
Note  the  terms  on  which  eternal  life  is  granted  (vs.  40). 

Twelfth  day. — Read  John  6:41-51.  Vs.  42:  John  says  nothing  of  the  Virgin 
birth  of  Jesus,  explaining  his  divine  nature  as  having  been  his  long  before  he  became 
flesh  and  came  into  the  world.  The  evangelist's  constant  emphasis  upon  Jesus' 
life  as  the  source  of  true  spiritual  life  is  somewhat  in  contrast  to  Paul,  who  found 


THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  15 

the  chief  religious  efficacy  of  Jesus  in  his  atoning  death.  Which  idea  do  you  find 
more  helpful  practically  ? 

Thirteenth  day. — Read  John  6 :  52-59.  Vs.  52 :  The  evangelist  quotes  this  crude 
misunderstanding  but  he  has  it  also  in  mind  to  correct  a  wrong  conception  of  the 
Lord's  Supper  on  the  part  of  Christians.  He  would  recall  them  to  its  lofty  symbolic 
meaning,  that  Jesus'  flesh  and  blood — that  is,  his  spirit,  the  very  principle  of  his 
life — is  imparted  to  those  who  believe  on  him  (vss.  53,  54).  The  Lord's  Supper, 
he  would  say,  has  religious  value,  indeed,  but  only  as  it  is  attended  by  the  appro- 
priation by  the  believer  of  the  spirit  which  controlled  Jesus. 

Fourteenth  day. — Read  John  6 :  60-65.  The  symbolic  character  of  the  discourse 
comes  out  clearly  in  vs.  63 :  "  It  is  the  spirit  that  giveth  life."  Cf .  the  similar  saying 
of  Paul  (II  Cor.  3:6).  Note  the  emphasis  on  the  words  of  Jesus,  vs.  63.  Important 
as  Jesus'  signs  are  deemed  in  this  Gospel,  his  words  have  still  greater  value  as  the 
expression  of  one  who  is  himself  the  Word  of  God.  Notice  in  vs.  64  the  same 
emphasis  on  Jesus'  divine  knowledge  already  seen  in  1 148;  2 :  24,  25;  4: 18,  39,  and 
perhaps  6:15. 

Fifteenth  day. — Read  John  6:66-71.  What  was  the  effect  of  this  boldly  figura- 
tive discourse  upon  Jesus'  disciples  and  upon  the  other  Jews  ?  Vs.  67  contains  the 
first  reference  to  the  Twelve  in  this  Gospel;  does  the  evangelist  presuppose  acquaint- 
ance on  the  part  of  his  readers  with  earlier  Gospels  ?  Notice  again  in  vs.  68  the 
high  value  set  upon  Jesus'  words.  What  does  Peter  mean  by  the  Holy  One  of  God 
(vs.  69)  ?    What  idea  of  the  evangelist  about  Jesus  comes  out  again  in  vss.  70,  71? 

Sixteenth  day. — Why  has  the  discourse  of  chap.  6  been  called  the  eucharistic 
discourse  ?  What  has  it  to  do  with  the  Lord's  Supper  ?  What  does  it  teach  as  to 
the  real  essence  of  discipleship  to  Jesus?  The  evangelist  often  conditions  the 
possession  of  eternal  life  upon  intellectual  belief  in  Jesus.  That  is  one  aspect  of 
discipleship  as  he  regards  it.  Has  it  in  his  mind  another  side  quite  as  important  ? 
The  evangelist  is  seeking  to  express  his  experience  of  the  religious  significance  of 
Jesus  as  the  awakener  and  sustainer  of  a  new  life  of  sonship  to  God.  Has  such  an 
experience  any  modern  parallels?  Are  the  contemporary  theological  and  philo- 
sophical terms  in  which  the  evangelist  expressed  this  experience  equally  adequate 
today  ? 

Seventeenth  day. — §  15.  Read  John  7:1-9.  This  paragraph  evidently  seeks 
to  correct  a  contemporary  Jewish  objection  to  Jesus  as  being  an  obscure  country 
teacher  whose  work  had  been  don*  off  in  Galilee,  not  in  Jerusalem,  the  center  of 
Jewish  life  (vss.  3,  4).  Notice  that,  as  at  Cana,  Jesus  acts  only  on  his  own  initia- 
tive (vss.  5,  8);  cf.  John  2:4.  The  Gospel  now  begins  to  show  the  opposition 
between  the  world  and  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  vs.  7,  and  "the  world"  more  and  more 
becomes  the  expression  for  the  unbelieving  part  of  mankind,  in  contrast  with  the 
little  circle  of  believing  disciples  to  which  Jesus  increasingly  devotes  himself.  The 
Johannine  idea  of  judgment,  that  is,  that  Jesus'  presence  in  the  world  was  in 


16  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


effect  a  judgment  of  the  world,  is  reflected  here  (as  in  the  work  of  the  third  day 
above). 

Eighteenth  day. — Read  John  7:10-24.  What  do  vss.  16,  1.8  describe  as  the 
attitude  of  Jesus  to  his  Father  ?  Great  emphasis  is  laid  in  this  Gospel  upon  knowl- 
edge; vs.  17  conditions  knowledge  upon  an  attitude  of  obedience.  "The  mind  is 
enlightened  to  observe  the  true  nature  of  the  revelation  in  Christ  by  a  habit  of 
moral  obedience"  (Scott). 

Nineteenth  day. — Read  John  7:25-30.  The  objection  to  Jesus'  messiahship, 
vs.  27,  that  his  origin  was  known,  while  the  Messiah's  origin  would  be  mysterious, 
was  probably  one  current  in  the  time  of  the  evangelist.  The  answer  to  it  is  that 
Jesus  had  a  loftier  origin  than  his  Nazareth  home,  for  God  had  sent  him.  Notice 
again,  vs.  30,  the  writer's  belief  in  Jesus'  mastery  of  all  the  situations  of  his  life. 
Much  as  his  enemies  wished  to  destroy  him,  they  were  powerless  against  him  until 
his  hour  should  come. 

Twentieth  day. — Read  John  7:31-36.  In  this  chapter  the  evangelist  begins  to 
trace  the  gradual  division  of  Jesus'  hearers  into  friends  and  foes,  resulting  from  that 
sifting  process  which  Jesus'  presence  in  the  world  produced.  This  is  the  messianic 
judgment  in  the  new  sense  characteristic  of  this  Gospel,  and  central  in  it.  Vs.  $3  • 
Jesus  boldly  tells  his  enemies  that  they  can  effect  nothing  against  him.  He  will 
continue  with  them  a  little  while  and  then  return  to  his  Father  into  whose  presence 
they  cannot  follow  him.  This  idea  of  Jesus  as  largely  freed  from  human  limitation 
is  part  of  the  evangelist's  conception  of  his  divine  nature. 

Twenty-first  day. — Read  John  7:37-44.  Through  the  week  of  the  feast 
the  bringing  of  water  from  the  pool  of  Siloam  to  the  temple  was  a  daily  reminder  to 
the  people  of  the  water  from  the  rock  which  had  quenched  the  thirst  of  their  fathers 
in  the  wilderness.  Now  on  the  eighth  day  they  left  their  booths,  entered  the  city, 
and  proceeded  to  the  temple.  The  thought  of  living  water  and  the  necessity  of  it 
to  life  had  been  before  their  minds  throughout  the  week,  and  suggests  the  theme  of 
Jesus'  discourse.  While  the  figure  is  different,  the  idea  resembles  that  of  6: 58,  63. 
Jesus'  spirit  can  establish  in  men's  hearts  inexhaustible  springs  of  spiritual  life. 
Vs.. 39:  this  thought  that  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  was  not  to  take  place  until  after 
Jesus'  death  is  characteristic  of  this  Gospel,  and  is  more  fully  developed  in  later 
chapters;  cf.  16:7. 

Twenty-second  day. — Read  John  7 :  45-52.  The  paragraph  shows  the  increasing 
bitterness  of  Jesus'  enemies,  still  futile  in  the  face  of  his  calm  mastery  of  the 
situation.  Vs.  49  sets  forth  the  religious  condition  of  the  common  people  of  the 
land  in  the  eyes  of  the  leaders  of  Judaism.  Necessarily  absorbed  in  earning  their 
daily  bread,  they  had  opportunity  neither  to  learn  nor  to  practice  the  minute  require- 
ments of  scribal  religion. 

Twenty-third  day. — Read  John  7:53 — 8:11.  This  striking  story  is  omitted 
from  John  by  the  best  and  oldest  manuscripts  and  forms  no  part  of  this 
Gospel.    It  is  nevertheless  an  ancient  and  beautiful  tradition  in  full  accord  with 


THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  17 

Jesus'  ways  and  spirit.  In  contrast  with  John's  picture  of  Jesus  this  story,  like  the 
earlier  Gospels,  brings  him  into  relations  with  the  outcast  and  sinful,  and  shows 
a  touching  human  sympathy  and  compassion  on  his  part.  Contrast  9:31,  which 
the  evangelist  quotes  with  evident  approval. 

Twenty-fourth  day. — Read  John  8:12-20.  Jesus  has  described  himself  as 
the  bread  of  life  and  the  water  of  life.  He  now  presents  himself  as  the  light  of 
the  world.  The  emphasis  upon  light  in  the  early  part  of  the  Gospel  has  already 
been  noted.  Cf.  1:4,  5,  and  the  note  upon  them  in  Study  I.  As  the  light  of  the 
world  Jesus  lifts  men  out  of  the  lower  life  of  darkness  into  the  clearness  and  beauty 
of  the  higher  divine  life.  The  idea  of  witness  already  brought  out  in  chap.  5  now 
reappears.  In  vs.  14  Jesus'  own  consciousness  bears  witness  to  his  relation  to  God 
and  the  truth  of  his  message,  and  God  in  the  hearts  of  open-minded  truth-seeking 
men  confirms  this  witness  (vss.  16, 18).  What  familiar  idea  of  this  Gospel  reappears 
in  vs.  20  ? 

Twenty-fifth  day. — Read  John  8 :  21-30.  The  opposition  between  the  world  and 
Jesus  and  his  followers  appears  again  in  vs.  23.  Note  the  emphasis  here,  as  often 
in  John,  of  the  idea  of  revelation  (vs.  26).  The  "lif ting-up"  of  Jesus,  vs.  28,  often 
spoken  of  in  John,  has  reference  to  his  death  as  carrying  with  it  his  truest  exaltation. 
Obedience,  the  moral  aspect  of  Jesus'  sonship,  finds  its  finest  expression  in  vs.  29. 
Note  that  the  sifting  process  by  which  men  of  their  own  accord  pronounce  judgment 
on  themselves  by  accepting  or  rejecting  Jesus  continues  (vs.  30). 

Twenty-sixth  day. — Read  John  8:31-36.  The  Gospel's  great  ideas  of  knowl- 
edge, truth,  and  freedom  are  strikingly  related  in  vs.  32.  The  emphasis  upon 
knowledge  is  one  of  the  marked  Greek  traits  of  John.  Men  find  deliverance  through 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  Sin  is  here  conceived  as  bondage,  a  form  of  limitation 
which  cuts  men  off  from  the  privileges  of  freedom.  This  idea  of  sin  as  limitation  is 
unlike  Paul's,  in  which  the  elements  of  guilt  and  culpability  are  prominent. 
Salvation  here  appears  as  emancipation  from  the  limitation  of  the  bondage  of  sin. 

Twenty-seventh  day. — Read  John  8:37-47.  In  these  controversial  dialogues  in 
John  we  see  reflected  the  bitterness  of  the  conflict  between  the  church  and  the 
synagogue  in  his  day.  Note  the  continued  emphasis  upon  truth  (vss.  40,  44, 45), 
and  the  return  to  the  idea  of  love,  so  prominent  earlier  and  later  in  the  Gospel  (vs.  42) . 

Twenty-eighth  day. — Read  John  8:48-53.  The  only  allusions  to  demon  pos- 
session in  John  are  of  this  kind  and  probably  refer  simply  to  madness;  cf.  10:20* 
The  great  idea  of  salvation  as  eternal  life  unaffected  by  mere  physical  death  comes 
out  again  in  vs.  51. 

Twenty-ninth  day. — Read  John  8:54-59.  The  evangelist's  philosophical  doc- 
trine that  Jesus  is  the  divine  Logos,  coexistent  with  God  himself  (cf.  1:1),  reaches 
its  boldest  expression  in  vs.  58.  Can  we  distinguish  the  evangelist's  experienced 
conviction  of  the  moral  and  religious  union  of  Jesus  with  his  Father  from  this  expres- 
sion of  it  in  ancient  philosophical  terms  ?  If  so,  which  is  religiously  more  significant 
for  us? 


l8  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


Thirtieth  day. — Looking  back  over  these  discourses  and  dialogues  at  the  Feast 
of  the  Tabernacles,  chaps.  7,  8,  what  do  you  consider  the  leading  ideas  brought  out 
in  them  ?  What  value  do  you  find  in  these  for  modern  religious  life  ?  Is  John  a  very 
theological  Gospel?  The  evangelist  undertook  the  task  of  relating  his  religious 
experience  to  the  best  philosophical  thought  of  his  day.  Must  not  Christian  thinkers 
in  every  age  undertake  this  task  afresh  ? 

QUESTIONS  FOR  REVIEW 

i.  What  made  the  healing  miracle  of  Jesus  at  the  pool  of  Bethesda  especially 
remarkable  ? 

2.  Why  did  the  Jews  object  to  it  ? 

3.  From  what  source  did  Jesus  claim  to  receive  his  power  ? 

4.  How  did  he  extenuate  himself  from  the  charge  of  "working"  on  the 
Sabbath  ? 

5.  Name  four  kinds  of  "witness"  claimed  by  Jesus  in  5:30-47. 

6.  What  two  remarkable  material  miracles  are  recorded  in  chap.  6,  and  what 
is  the  subject  of  the  discourse  to  which  the  account  of  them  leads  ? 

7.  What  custom  of  the  church  continuing  to  the  present  time  is  in  the  mind 
of  the  author  of  the  Gospel  as  he  relates  this  discourse  ? 

8.  On  what  terms  does  this  Gospel  claim  that  eternal  life  may  be  secured  ? 

9.  Which  of  the  three  doctrines — the  Virgin  birth,  the  atoning  death,  or  the 
inspiring  life  of  Jesus— is  most  practically  helpful  to  you  ? 

10.  How  does  this  Gospel  answer  the  current  objection  of  the  Jews  to  Jesus 
as  the  Messiah — that  he  was  of  obscure  and  humble  parentage  ? 

n.  In  what  sense  was  Jesus'  presence  in  the  world  a  judgment  of  it  ? 

12.  What  belief  of  the  author  accounts  for  his  certainty  that  Jesus  was  master 
of  all  the  situations  of  his  life  ? 

13.  What  custom  lies  back  of  Jesus'  discourse  on  the  "living  water,"  and 
what  does  Jesus  mean  by  "living  water"  ? 

14.  In  what  spirit  did  the  Pharisees  receive  such  statements  as  those  of  Jesus 
concerning  the  "bread  of  life,"  and  the  "living  water"  ? 

»        15.  Were  the  common  people  in  sympathy  with  the  Pharisees  and  the  "Law"  ? 

16.  Under  what  figure  does  Jesus  describe  himself  in  chap.  8,  and  with  what 
promise  does  he  accompany  his  statement? 

17.  What  contrast  does  Jesus  make  between  sin  and  truth  in  this  chapter? 

18.  How  great  had  become  the  enmity  of  the  Jews  as  reflected  in  Jesus' 
statements  in  chaps.  5-8. 

19.  To  what  does  Jesus  attribute  this  hatred  ? 

20.  What  teachings,  valuable  for  religious  life  today,  do  you  find  in  the 
chapters  covered  by  the  study  of  the  month  ? 


THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  19 


STUDY  III 

THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  (2) 

(9:1—12:50) 

First  day. — §  16.  The  man  born  blind  and  Jesus  the  light  of  the  world:  chap.  9. 
Read  John  9:1-3.  The  fact  that  the  man  had  been  blind  from  his  birth  made 
his  cure  all  the  more  wonderful.  Like  the  other  wonders  reported  by  John,  this 
cure  is  of  an  extreme  and  indeed  a  hopeless  case.  The  disciples'  question  reflects 
the  old  Jewish  view  that  suffering  was  a  punishment  for  sin.  Jesus,  on  the  other 
hand,  declares  that  the  man  was  born  blind  in  order  that  he  might  by  healing  him 
manifest  the  works  of  God — that  is,  show  his  divine  power  in  a  striking  and 
convincing  way. 

Second  day. — Read  John  9:4-7.  Jesus'  sense  of  divine  commission  and  of 
devotion  to  the  will  of  God  appears  here  again;  cf.  8:29;  4:34-  The  main 
interest  of  this  cure  for  the  evangelist  lies  in  its  symbolizing  the  relief  that  Jesus 
as  light  of  the  world  (vs.  5)  brings  to  the  spiritually  blind  (vs.  39).  Compare  the 
similar  use  of  the  water  made  wine,  2:1-11.  The  method  pursued  by  Jesus  recalls 
that  in  Mark  7 :  33  and  especially  8 :  23.  Is  the  insistence  upon  the  man's  washing 
as  necessary  to  complete  his  cure  a  symbolic  reference  to  baptism?  If  so,  is  it 
the  evangelist's  purpose  here  to  exalt  it  (cf.  13 : 8-10),  or,  as  at  some  points  in  his 
Gospel  (4:2),  to  check  a  tendency  to  overestimate  the  rite  of  baptism?  What 
is  the  evangelist's  attitude  toward  the  Lord's  Supper?  Note  the  symbolic 
significance  found  by  the  evangelist  in  the  name  Siloam. 

Third  day. — Read  John  9:8-12.  The  doubt  of  the  man's  neighbors  as  to  his 
identity  is  due  to  their  conviction  that  his  blindness  was  incurable,  and  since  he 
is  now  able  to  see,  they  are  forced  to  think  he  cannot  be  the  same  man.  This 
conversation  therefore  has  the  effect  of  heightening  the  wonder  of  the  cure,  which 
appeared  to  the  man's  acquaintances  perfectly  incredible.  This  is  a  part  of  the 
evangelist's  view  of  Jesus'  signs  as  marvels  of  divine  power  due  to  his  supernatural 
nature. 

Fourth  day. — Read  John  9 :  13-16.  The  Pharisees  are  appealed  to  as  religious 
leaders  capable  of  explaining  the  fact  that  a  man  incurably  blind  had  been  cured, 
and  cured  on  the  Sabbath,  in  violation  of  the  Law  as  generally  understood.  Per- 
haps the  making  of  a  little  clay  was  also  considered  a  transgression  of  the  Sabbath 
law.  The  violation  of  the  Law  outweighs  with  the  Pharisees  both  the  inestimable 
good  done  to  the  man  and  the  manifestation  of  divine  power  involved  in  his  cure: 
"This  man  is  not  from  God,  because  he  keepeth  not  the  Sabbath." 


20  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


Fifth  day.— Read  John  9:17-23.  The  continued  incredulity  of  the  Jews  is 
related  as  further  evidence  of  the  wonderful  character  of  the  cure.  The  testimony 
of  the  man's  parents,  however,  at  length  convinces  them  that  he  has  been  cured 
of  his  lifelong  blindness.  The  hostility  of  the  synagogue  to  the  followers  of 
Jesus,  so  active  in  the  evangelist's  day,  is  here  described  as  already  developed  in 
the  time  of  Jesus,  vs.  22. 

Sixth  day. — Read  John  9:24-29.  The  bitter  conflict  between  church  and 
synagogue  in  the  evangelist's  day  is  reflected  in  these  verses.  The  Jews  now 
admit  the  cure  but  declare  Jesus  to  be  a  sinner,  that  is,  a  transgressor  of  the  Law. 
The  man,  on  the  other  hand,  declares  his  belief  that  Jesus  is  a  prophet.  The 
sifting  process  or  judgment  in  which  men  judge  themselves  by  their  estimates  of 
Jesus  reappears  here.    , 

Seventh  day.— Read  John  9:30-34.  Two  points  are  emphasized  here:  an 
incredible  cure  has  been  wrought,  and  it  is  a  proof  that  Jesus  is  divinely  com- 
missioned. These  are  the  things  the  evangelist  would  emphasize  in  the  story. 
For  these  views  the  man  is  expelled  from  the  fellowship  of  the  synagogue.  How 
does  the  statement  that  God  heareth  not  sinners,  vs.  31,  compare  with  the  thought 
of  the  Synoptic  Gospels  on  the  same  subject,  e.g.,  Luke  18: 13,  14  ? 

Eighth  day.—  Read  John  9:35-41.  This  bold  presentation  of  himself  by 
Jesus  as  Messiah  and  Son  of  Ctod  is  characteristic  of  the  Gospel  of  John;  cf.  4: 26. 
Note  the  ideas  of  judgment,  and  of  Jesus  as  the  light  of  the  world  to  the  spiritually 
blind.  This  brings  out  the  symbolic  character  of  the  story:  thus  Jesus  gives 
sight  to  the  spiritually  blind,  and  lifts  them  out  of  the  life  of  limitation,  ignorance, 
and  bondage  into  the  new  divine  life  of  truth  and  freedom.  Observe  the  evangel- 
ist's reinterpretation  of  the  earlier  Christian  idea  of  messianic  judgment  to  come : 
he  finds  it  already  taking  place  in  the  attitudes  men  are  assuming  toward  Jesus, 
for  in  these  they  unconsciously  condemn  or  acquit  themselves. 

Ninth  day. — §  17.  Jesus  the  door  of  the  sheep  and  the  good  shepherd:  chap.  10. 
Read  John  10:1-6.  The  falseness  of  the  Pharisees  to  their  task  of  religious 
leadership  suggests  the  contrast  between  them  and  worthier  leaders,  such  as  Jesus 
himself.  But  the  allegory  has  a  further  application,  setting  forth,  as  it  does,  the 
true  Christian  shepherd  (pastor),  that  is,  the  ideal  of  the  Christian  ministry  of 
which  in  the  evangelist's  day  some  men  had  proved  unworthy.  The  allegory 
reflects  an  age  when  the  position  of  a  Christian  shepherd  or  minister  had  become 
one  of  dignity  and  responsibility,  and  men  needed  to  be  reminded  that  it  carried 
the  gravest  responsibilities  with  it.     Has  it  a  message  for  Christian  leaders  today  ? 

Tenth  day. — Read  John  10: 7-10.  Jesus'  relation  to  the  shepherd  is  now  dis- 
closed. He  is  the  door  by  which  the  true  and  worthy  Christian  shepherd  gains 
access  to  the  fold  within  which  his  sheep  are  gathered.  The  church  is  not  men- 
tioned in  the  Gospel  of  John;  is  the  idea  of  the  church  in  the  evangelist's  mind 
when  he  speaks,  in  this  passage,  of  the  fold  and  the  safety  the  sheep  find  within 


THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  21 

it  ?  It  is  significant  that  Jesus  does  not  describe  any  rite  as  the  door  of  the  fold; 
he  is  himself  the  door  by  which  alone  the  true  shepherd  must  enter. 

Eleventh  day. — Read  John  10:11-15.  In  contrast  with  the  false  teachers 
who  come  to  kill  and  plunder,  Jesus  is  the  giver  of  life,  vs.  10.  The  designation 
of  Jesus  as  the  door  of  the  sheepfold  now  gives  way  to  the  description  of  him  as  the 
good  shepherd,  the  pattern  of  what  all  Christian  shepherds  ought  to  be  in  self- 
sacrificing  fidelity  to  their  sacred  trust.  The  false  shepherds  who  have  betrayed 
their  Christian  office  are  again  rebuked,  vs.  12.  The  death  of  Jesus,  which  he 
endured  for  the  sake  of  his  flock,  is  dwelt  upon  as  the  supreme  illustration  of  the 
devotion  his  undershepherds  ought  to  manifest. 

Twelfth  day.- — Read  John  10:16-18.  The  spread  of  the  gospel  among  the 
Gentiles  is  reflected  here,  vs.  16.  Through  the  death  of  Christ  these  other  sheep 
will  be  united  with  those  of  the  Jewish  fold.  Notice  the  view  here  taken  of  Jesus' 
death :  he  goes  to  it  under  no  necessity,  but  lays  down  his  life  of  his  own  accord, 
confident  that  he  has  power  to  resume  it  at  his  pleasure.  How  does  this  compare 
with  the  synoptic  teaching,  e.g.,  in  Mark  14:34-36?  Even  here  in  John,  Jesus' 
filial  at'titude  of  love  and  obedience  to  God  is  brought  out,  side  by  side  with  his 
Logos-nature,  vss.  17,  18. 

Thirteenth  day.—  Read  John  10:19-21.  The  taking  of  sides  for  or  against 
Jesus  continues.  In  what  sense  is  demon  possession  used  in  this  Gospel  ?  Cf . 
John  7:20;  8:48,  52. 

Fourteenth  day. — Read  John  10:22-26.  The  Feast  of  Dedication  was  cele- 
brated in  December,  in  commemoration  of  the  reconsecration  of  the  temple 
by  Judas  Maccabeus  (165  B.C.)  after  it  had  been  profaned  by  the  Syrian  king 
Antiochus  IV.  The  thought  of  the  works  of  Jesus  as  witnessing  to  his  divine 
nature  is  often  expressed  in  this  Gospel  (cf.  5:36),  but  the  Gospel  repeatedly 
states  that  faith  based  on  works,  or  signs,  is  not  of  the  highest  kind. 

Fifteenth  day.—  Read  John  10:27-33.  Jesus  appears  here  as  the  good  shep- 
herd and  the  life-giver.  The  life  he  imparts  to  his  followers  is  not  merely  future 
life,  but  a  new  and  higher  kind  of  life  which  is  related  to  the  higher  eternal  world, 
and  to  which  he  introduces  them  here  and  now.  Jesus'  bold  claim  of  oneness  with 
God  the  evangelist  understands  as  referring  to  his  divine  Logos-nature  quite  as 
much  as  to  his  moral  oneness  with  God  through  filial  obedience  to  his  will.  These 
two  conceptions  of  Jesus'  relation  to  God,  the  one  philosophical,  the  other  religious, 
run  through  the  Gospel  of  John,  often  appearing  together,  as  here,  for  in  the 
words  "Many  good  works  have  I  showed  you  from  the  Father,"  Jesus'  filial 
dependence  upon  God  reappears;  cf.  8:26,  28,  29.  Here,  as  on  another  occasion 
(8:58),  the  Jews  are  ready  to  stone  Jesus  for  blasphemy,  because  of  his  bold 
words. 

Sixteenth  day.— Read  John  10 :  34-39.  The  Old  Testament  oracle  which  Jesus 
quotes  from  Ps.  82:6  describes  the  judges  of  Israel  as  gods,  and  sons  of  the  Most 


22  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


High.  The  argument  is  that  it  is  no  blasphemy  to  claim  for  one  who  has  done  the 
works  of  power  and  beneficence  that  he  has  done,  a  title  which  the  Scripture  itself 
freely  applies  to  the  judges  of  the  Jewish  nation.  Here,  as  before  in  addressing  the 
Jews,  the  appeal  of  Jesus  is  to  the  testimony  of  his  works  of  power,  and  again  he 
insists  upon  his  oneness  with  God.  This  revives  their  hostility,  but,  with  the 
easy  mastery  of  every  situation  so  frequently  brought  out  in  this  Gospel,  Jesus 
goes  his  way.  The  statement  that  the  Scripture  cannot  be  broken,  vs.  35,  reflects 
a  time  in  the  history  of  the  early  church  when  the  Old  Testament  had  come  to  be 
accepted  as  authoritative  by  Christians  as  well  as  Jews.  Jesus  in  the  earlier 
Gospels  sometimes  takes  a  different  view;  cf.  Mark  10:4,  5;  7:  igb. 

Seventeenth  day.' — Read  John  10:40-42.  While  the  Jewish  rulers  refuse  to 
accept  Jesus,  in  Perea  many  others  come  to  him  and  believe  on  him.  The  locality 
and  its  associations  suggest  comparison  with  John  the  Baptist,  whose  inferiority 
is  again  emphasized  (he  did  no  sign)  along  with  his  testimony  to  Jesus.  Note 
that  the  evangelist  invariably  mentions  John  in  such  a  wav,  as  to  exalt  Jesus. 

Eighteenth  day. — §  18.  The  raising  of  Lazarus:  Jesus  the  giver  of  life:  chap. 
11.  Read  John  11 : 1-7.  In  the  story  of  Lazarus,  Jesus  appears  as  the  life-giver. 
As  in  the  case  of  the  man  born  blind,  much  of  the  significance  of  this  seventh  of 
Jesus'  signs  lies  in  its  symbolic  force;  Jesus  can  raise  men  dead  to  spiritual  relations 
and  values  into  a  life  of  freedom  and  power.  Jesus  from  the  first  news  of  Lazarus' 
sickness  views  it  as  an  opportunity  for  a  supreme  sign:  it  is  for  the  glory  of  God, 
that  the  Son  of  Man  may  be  glorified  thereby.  Indeed  he  waits  two  days  before 
starting  for  Bethany.  How  does  this  compare  with  Jesus'  attitude  toward  per- 
forming cures  as  the  synoptists  represent  it  ? 

Nineteenth  day. — Read  John  1 1 : 8-16.  The  disciples'  apprehensions  about  the 
danger  from  the  Jews  of  Judea  Jesus  meets  with  calm  confidence.  He  has  still 
some  time  in  which  to  work.  For  the  present  his  foes  cannot  hurt  him.  By  the 
exercise  of  that  divine  knowledge  so  often  ascribed  to  him  in  this  Gospel  (cf .  1 :  48- 
50;  2:25;  6:64;  13:11)  he  informs  his  disciples  of  the  death  of  Lazarus.  Jesus 
rejoices  that  Lazarus  is  dead,  since  the  sign  he  is  about  to  perform  in  raising  him 
to  life  will  strengthen  the  faith  of  the  disciples.  Faith  resting  on  signs  is  more 
favorably  spoken  of  here  than  at  some  other  points  in  this  Gospel.  Vs.  16  credits 
the  disciples  with  a  conscious  courage  in  returning  to  Judea  with  Jesus;  in  con- 
trast with  the  synoptic  representation,  cf.  Mark  10:32;   14:50. 

Twentieth  day. — Read  John  11:17-27.  In  this  touching  interview  Martha 
expresses  the  faith  of  the  early  church  that  dying  believers  shall  rise  again  at  the 
last  day.  Over  against  this  Jesus  declares  that  the  life  he  imparts  is  unaffected 
by  physical  death  (vs.  26).  "Those  who  believe  in  him  have  risen  already;  their 
death  is  only  in  seeming  and  they  carry  with  them  into  the  world  beyond  the  same 
life  on  which  they  entered  here"  (Scott).  The  evangelist  seeks  throughout  his 
Gospel  to  represent  eternal  life,  not  as  merely  future,  but  as  present.    The  ultimate 


THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  23 

resurrection  "is  not  the  commencement  but  simply  the  manifestation  of  the  new 
life"  (Scott).  This  departure  from  the  old  apocalyptic  conception  of  the  resur- 
rection is  a  marked  feature  of  the  recast  of  earlier  Christian  belief  which  is  effected 
in  the  Gospel  of  John. 

Twenty-first  day. — Read  John  11 :  28-37.  These  verses  more  than  any  others 
in  this  Gospel  express  pity  and  human  sympathy.  But  even  here  Jesus  stands 
apart  from  and  above  human  grief,  a  superior  being  of  another  world.  The  Jews 
interpret  his  tears  as  expressions  of  his  regret  for  his  dead  friend,  but,  in  the  light 
of  what  the  narrative  itself  says  Jesus  meant  all  along  to  do,  Jesus'  sorrow  is  rather 
that  of  "a  divine  being  who  stands  apart  and  contemplates  the  earthly  tragedy" 
(Scott). 

Twenty-second  day.  —Read  John  1 1 :  38-44.  The  purpose  of  this  seventh  of 
the  great  signs  of  Jesus  recorded  in  this  Gospel  is  distinctly  stated  in  vs.  42 ;  it  is 
done  that  the  multitude  may  believe  that  Jesus  is  sent  by  God.  From  a  historical 
point  of  view  it  is  very  difficult  to  understand  how  so  extraordinary  a  wonder 
performed  close  to  Jerusalem  and  just  before  Jesus'  final  appearance  there  could 
have  been  passed  over  in  silence  by  the  earlier  evangelists,  especially  if,  as  John 
represents,  it  was  the  immediate  cause  of  Jesus'  death.  Probably  here,  as  in  the 
water  made  wine,  the  main  teaching  lies  in  the  symbolism  of  the  story,  which 
presents  Jesus  in  the  most  graphic  possible  way  as  the  giver  of  life,  while  its  form 
may  be  reminiscent  of  the  raising  of  Jairus'  daughter  (Mark  5 :  42)  and  the  widow's 
son  at  Nain  (Luke  7:15)  and  of  the  saying  about  one  risen  from  the  dead  in  the 
parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus  (Luke  16:31).  This  story  and  that  of  the  wedding 
at  Cana  might  thus  be  considered  as  virtual  parables. 

Twenty-third  day. — Read  John  11:45-53.  The  Jews  continue  to  take  sides 
for  or  against  Jesus,  carrying  on  that  idea  of  continuous  present  judgment  already 
noted  in  this  Gospel.  The  raising  of  Lazarus  stirs  the  Pharisees  to  act  against 
Jesus  on  the  theory  that  these  multiplied  signs  will  soon  convince  everyone  and 
bring  their  national  religious  life  to  an  end.  Caiaphas  declares  that  the  only  wise 
course  is  to  put  Jesus  to  death,  and  in  his  words  the  evangelist  finds  an  unconscious 
prophecy  of  the  death  of  Jesus  for  the  people.  But  as  elsewhere  in  this  Gospel,  the 
chief  significance  of  the  death  of  Jesus  is  found,  not  in  its  vicarious  character,  but 
in  its  power  to  attract  into  the  church  persons  through  all  the  world  who  crave 
the  divine  life  (vs.  52;  cf.  10:16;   12:32). 

Twenty-fourth  day. — Read  John  11:54-57.  What  was  the  purpose  of  Jesus' 
withdrawal  to  Ephraim  ?  What  other  passovers  have  been'  mentioned  in  this 
Gospel?  Cf.  2:13;  6:4.  With  the  expectancy  of  the  people  at  Jerusalem,  cf. 
7:11,  where  a  similar  anticipation  is  connected  with  the  Feast  of  Tabernacles. 

Twenty-fifth  day. — §  19.  Jesus'  final  presentation  of  himself  to  the  Jews  of 
Jerusalem:  chap.  12.  Read  John  12:1-11.  This  narrative  very  closely  resembles 
the  account  of  the  same  event  given  in  Mark  14:3-9.    What  differences  do  you 


24  THE  GOSPEL  OP  JOHN' 

observe  in  the  narrative  in  John,  and  what  significance  did  the  evangelist  find 
in  them  ?  Three  hundred  shillings  would  be  about  fifty  dollars  of  our  money, 
but  their  purchasing  power  in  ancient  times  would  be  vastly  more  than  fifty 
dollars.    Was  Mary's  use  of  this  costly  luxury  right  ? 

Twenty-sixth  day.—  Read  John  12:12-19.  How  does  this  narrative  compare 
with  that  in  Mark  11:5-11  (Matt.  21:4-11;  Luke  19:33-38)  ?  Notice  in  John 
the  witness  of  the  multitude,  vs.  17.  The  interest  of  the  multitude  in  Jesus' 
Messianic  entry  into  the  city  is  here  explained  as  due  to  the  raising  of  Lazarus 
a  few  days  or  weeks  before,  vs.  18.  Notice  the  statement  that  subsequent  events 
afterward  led  the  disciples  to  go  over  those  incidents  of  Jesus'  ministry  from  a  new 
point  of  view  and  to  find  in  them  a  new  meaning,  vs.  16. 

Twenty-seventh  day.—  Read  John  12:20-26.  In  the  interest  of  these  Greeks 
in  Jesus,  as  in  Jesus'  work  in  Samaria,  the  evangelist  foreshadows  the  great 
extension  of  the  church  among  the  Gentiles  which  was  so  marked  a  development 
of  his  time.  The  dignity  and  aloofness  of  Jesus  as  he  appears  in  this  Gospel  again 
come  out  in  the  fact  that  the  Greeks  approach  him,  not  directly,  but  through  his 
disciples.  In  their  request  Jesus  finds  the  token  that  his  ministry  is  nearing  its 
end.  It  only  remains  for  him  to  be  glorified  through  death,  vss.  23,  24.  This 
conception  of  his  death  as  glorification  is  characteristic  of  this  Gospel. 

Twenty-eighth  day. — Read  John  12 :  27-360.  The  Gethsemane  incident  of  the 
earlier  Gospels  is  reinterpreted  in  John  in  accord  with  the  evangelist's  conception 
of  Jesus  as  a  being  almost  wholly  freed  from  human  limitation,  vss.  27,  28.  Here, 
as  in  other  instances  in  John,  the  earlier  gospel  story  is  retold  and  modified.  The 
writer's  idea  of  the  messianic  judgment  as  involuntarily  effected  by  Jesus  reappears 
in  vs.  31.  The  significance  of  Jesus'  death  is  at  once  his  release  from  earthly 
limitation  into  his  higher  life,  and  the  signal  by  which  he  will  attract  to  himself 
all  those  who  have  in  them  the  craving  for  the  truer  life,  vs.  32.  Vs.  34  doubtless 
answers  a  contemporary  Jewish  objection  to  Jesus'  messiahship;  cf.  7:41,  42,  etc. 
What  is  meant  by  the  light,  vss.  35,  36  ?     Cf.  1 : 5;  9: 5. 

Twenty-ninth  day. — Read  John  12:366-43.  What  is  the  evangelist's  idea  of 
the  value  of  signs,  vs.  37  ?  A  Jewish  objection  to  Jesus'  claims  doubtless  current 
jn  the  time  of  the  evangelist  is  reflected  and  met  in  vss.  37-41,  which  explain'the 
failure  of  the  Jews  to  accept  him.  A  kindred  objection  already  touched  upon  in 
7 : 48  is  dealt  with  in  vss.  42,  43. 

Thirtieth  day. — Read  John  12 :  44-50.  Notice  here  the  Gospel's  conception  of 
judgment,  vss.  47,  48.  Not  Jesus  but  his  word  which  men  either  accept  or  reject 
will  judge  them  at  the  last  day.  Here  the  evangelist  seems  indeed  to  retain  the 
thought  of  a  final  judgment,  but  he  does  so  in  little  more  than  form,  emphasizing 
rather  the  thought  that  Jesus'  message  acts  as  a  touchstone  to  men's  hearts, 
thrusting  upon  them  a  choice  by  their  response  to  which  they  settle  their  own 


THE  CENTRAL  PERIOD  OF  JESUS'  MINISTRY  25 

moral  destinies.    Jesus'  relation  to  God  is  here  set  forth,  vss.  49,  50,  as  a  filial 
•dependence  upon  God,  not,  as  so  often  in  John,  as  a  metaphysical  relationship. 

Under  what  terms  has  Jesus  in  these  chapters  (9-12)  described  himself  (cf. 
9:5;   10:7,11,36;   11:25;   12:35),  and  what  meaning  do  you  attach  to  each? 

QUESTIONS   FOR  REVIEW 

1.  What  was  the  popular  belief  of  the  Jews  concerning  one  who  was  afflicted 
with  disease  or  misfortune  ? 

2.  What  does  Jesus'  statement  to  the  man  born  blind  suggest  to  you  concern- 
*ng  his  own  attitude  toward  that  belief  ? 

3.  What  was  the  conclusion  of  the  Pharisees  concerning  Jesus  because  of  the 
time  and  manner  of  his  cure  of  the  blind  man  ? 

4.  What  view  of  Jesus  does  the  evangelist,  seek  to  establish  by  his  use  of  this 
story  ? 

5.  What  suggestion  does  the  story  contain  as  to  the  relation  of  Jews  and 
Christians  in  the  author's  own  day  ? 

6.  What  was  the  "blindness"  with  which  the  Jews  charged  the  Pharisees? 

7.  Name  some  ways  in  which  Jesus  has  proved  his  claim  to  be  called  the  light 
of  the  world. 

8.  Who  were  the  "false  shepherds"  alluded  to  in  chap.  10? 

9.  What  did  Jesus  claim  to  be  the  tests  of  a  good  shepherd  ? 
.    10.  Did  Jesus'  own  life  satisfy  these  tests  ? 

11.  How  does  this  writer  represent  Jesus'  attitude  toward  his  own  death. 

12.  What  two  aspects  of  Jesus'  "oneness"  run  side  by  side  through  the 
Gospel  ?    Answer  with  an  illustration  of  each. 

13.  What  evidence  have  we  in  the  Gospel  that  in  the  time  of  the  author 
Christians  regarded  the  Old  Testament  as  sacred  and  binding  ? 

14.  Is  the  story  of  Lazarus  presented  in  any  other  Gospel  than  John  ? 

15.  Can  you  suggest  any  reasons  for  this  omission? 

16.  Describe  your  impression   of   Jesus   from   a   careful   reading    of   this 
story. 

17.  How  do  Jesus'  words  to  the  sisters  regarding  death,  resurrection,  and 
eternal  life  appear  to  us  today  ? 

18.  What,  according  to  this  Gospel,  was  the  effect  of  Jesus'  act  upon  the 
Jews  ? 

19.  Tell  the  story  of  the  next  few  days  as  related  in  John,  chap.  12. 

20.  In  what  terms  has  Jesus  described  himself  in  these  chapters,  and  what 
meaning  do  you  attach  to  each  of  these  names  ? 


26  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


STUDY  IV 

JESUS'  FULLER  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  TO  HIS 
DISCIPLES  (13:1—17:26) 

First  day. — §  20.  Washing  the  disciples'  feet:  the  lesson  of  humility  and  service: 
John  13:1-20.  Read  John  13:1.  The  controversial  tone  which  has  marked  the 
central  part  of  the  Gospel  now  gives  way  to  a  more  intimate  and  confidential 
intercourse  between  Jesus  and  his  disciples.  Notice  that  John  puts  the  Last 
Supper,  not  on  the  night  of  the  Passover  supper,  but  on  the  night  before.  The 
evangelist  intends  to  correct  the  notion  so  clearly  expressed  in  Mark  14:12,  16,  18, 
that  Jesus'  last  meal  with  the  disciples  was  the  Passover  supper.  Certain  touches 
in  Mark,  indeed  (14:2;  15:42),  seem  to  agree  with  this  placing  of  the  Last  Supper, 
which,  on  the  one  hand,  avoids  making  the  Supper  an  outgrowth  or  modification 
of  the  Passover  supper,  and,  on  the  other,  brings  the  death  of  Jesus  to  the  time 
at  which  the  Passover  lambs  were  being  sacrificed  throughout  the  city.  Note 
that  in  13 : 1  the  contrast  between  the  disciples  and  the  world,  so  characteristic  of 
this  Gospel,  reappears,  as  does  the  supernatural  knowledge  of  Jesus.  The  verse 
not  only  gives  a  very  touching  picture  of  the  unselfish  affection  of  Jesus  for  his 
disciples,  so  that  his  whole  thought  in  this  last  night  of  his  life  was  for  them,  but 
it  suggests  the  evangelist's  interpretation  of  his  death  as  endured  primarily  for 
"his  own";  cf.  10:11;  1^:13. 

Second  day. — Read  John  13:2-4.  Cf.  Matt.  11:27;  Philip.  2:6.  Notice 
again  the  emphasis  on  Jesus'  extraordinary  knowledge,  and  observe  that  his 
consciousness  of  his  divine  nature  is  the  background  of  the  menial  act  he  now 
prepares  to  perform. 

Third  day. — Read  John  13:5-11.  In  countries  where  sandals  were  worn, 
which  protect  only  the  soles  of  the  feet  from  the  dust,  it  was  the  duty  of  an  oriental 
host  to  offer  the  guests  who  came  under  his  roof  water  with  which  to  wash  their 
feet.  It  is  singular  that  in  John  the  washing  follows  the  Supper;  cf.  Luke  7:44. 
The  point  of  the  story  is  of  course  the  extraordinary  condescension  of  Jesus  in 
doing  this  menial  service  for  his  disciples.  The  process  of  interpretation  which 
the  memory  of  the  disciples  was  later  to  apply  to  these  events  is  suggested  here, 
vs.  7,  as  above  in  12:16.  The  symbolic  character  of  Jesus'  action  is  clearly 
brought  out  in  vs.  8:  the  feet-washing  symbolizes  the  attitude  of  humble  service 
to  others.  Every  follower  of  Jesus  must  experience  it.  Does  vs.  10  refer  to 
baptism  ?    The  thought  is  that  he  who  has  once  entered  upon  the  Christian  life 


JESUS'  FULLER  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  27 

has  need  only  to  renew  each  day  his  attitude  of  humility  and  service  to  his 
fellows.  Notice  the  continued  emphasis  upon  the  extraordinary  knowledge  of 
Jesus,  vs.  n. 

Fourth  day. — Read  John  13:12-17.  What  lesson  is  drawn  here  from  the 
incident  of  the  feet-washing?  How  do  you  interpret  vs.  14?  Vs.  16:  a  similar 
saying  of  Jesus  occurs  in  Matt.  10:24;  what  is  its  application  here  in  John? 
Notice  the  characteristically  Greek  emphasis  of  knowledge  as  a  condition  of 
"doing,"  vs.  17;  cf.  8:32. 

Fifth  day. — Read  John  13 :  18-20.  The  supernatural  knowledge  of  Jesus  is 
again  emphasized.  He  predicts  his  betrayal  by  one  of  his  immediate  followers, 
and  declares  that  he  does  so  that  when  they  see  his  prediction  fulfilled  they  may 
have  their  belief  in  him  confirmed.  Vs.  20  recalls  a  similar  saying  of  Jesus  recorded 
in  Matt.  10:40.  If  they  yield  to  his  spirit  and  go  on  his  errands,  they  become 
his  actual  representatives,  sharing  his  dignity  and  privilege. 

Sixth  day. — §  21.  The  prediction  of  the  betrayal;  the  withdrawal  of  the  betrayer: 
John  13:21-30.  Read  John  13:21-23.  The  prediction  of  the  betrayal  now 
becomes  more  specific.  The  beloved  disciple  now  first  appears  in  the  narrative. 
He  is  mentioned  in  this  way  three  times  in  the  Gospel  (13:23;  19:26;  20 : 2),  and 
twice  in  the  epilogue  (21:7,  20).  The  Gospel  nowhere  gives  his  name,  but  the 
use  of  this  title  for  him  makes  him  much  more  conspicuous  than  any  name  could 
have  done.  Is  he  the  apostle  John,  or  an  ideal  figure,  the  typical  sympathetic 
follower  of  insight  and  devotion,  who  would  have  understood  Jesus  as  none  of  his 
actual  followers  seems  to  have  done?    Or  does  he  unite  these  two  characters? 

Seventh  day. — Read  John  13 :  24-30.  The  persons  at  the  Supper  were  reclin- 
ing about  the  table  on  long  couches,  each  probably  accommodating  three  persons. 
Jesus  would  naturally  occupy  the  place  of  honor  at  the  head  of  the  principal 
couch,  and  next  him  at  his  right  reclines  the  beloved  disciple,  to  whom  even 
Peter  is  subordinated.  Jesus  designates  Judas  by  handing  him  a  morsel  of  bread 
which  he  has  first  dipped  in  the  common  bowl  of  sauce  upon  the  table.  In  keeping 
with  Jesus'  mastery  of  every  situation  he  here  appears  as  telling  Judas  that  the 
time  has  come  for  the  betrayal;  cf.  7:30;  8:20.  Vs.  29  is  further'proof  that  the 
evangelist  means  that  the  Passover  is  still  in  the  future;  cf.  13: 1. 

Eighth  day. — §  22.  The  farewell  discourses  of  Jesus:  John  13:31 — 16:33. 
Read  John  13:31-35.  The  departure  of  Judas  leaves  Jesus  alone  with  his  loyal 
followers,  to  whom  he  can  speak  fully  and  without  reserve,  and  the  great  dis- 
course and  player  which  form  the  culmination  of  the  Gospel  follow  (13:31 
through  chap.  17).  Jesus  speaks  of  his  death,  now  close  at  hand,  as  his  glorifi- 
cation; cf.  7:39;  12: 16,  23.  Love  is  now  declared  to  be  the  bond  of  the  spiritual 
fellowship  (the  church),  represented  by  the  little  group  of  disciples  gathered 
about  the  table.  Compare  with  this  I  John  4:7-21.  It  is  an  exalted  idea  that 
the  Christians  are  to  be  known  not  by  any  rite  or  outward  mark  but  by  the  love 


28  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


they  show  to  one  another,  and  that  the  love  of  Jesus  is  to  be  the  standard  and 
pattern  for  theirs.  Is  this  a  broadening  or  a  narrowing  of  Jesus'  teaching  in 
the  earlier  gospels?     Cf.  Matt.  5:43-48. 

Ninth  day. — Read  John  13:36-38.  Notice  again  the  evangelist's  charac- 
teristic emphasis  upon  Jesus'  supernatural  knowledge,  vss.  36,  38.  Peter  does 
not  understand  Jesus  as  well  as  the  beloved  disciple  does. 

Tenth  day. — Read  John  14: 1-4.  Jesus  now  seeks  in  these  beautiful  words  to 
comfort  his  disciples  in  view  of  his  departure.  He  goes  away  to  prepare  for  their 
later  coming  to  the  house  of  many  abiding-places,  but  he  will  come  again  to  them, 
that  they  may  be  with  him.  The  Gospel  now  begins  the  skilful  modification  of 
the  early  idea  of  Jesus'  visible  return  on  the  clouds  of  heaven  into  the  coming 
of  his  spirit  into  the  believer's  heart. 

Eleventh  day. — Read  John  14:5-7.  Jesus  has  already  declared  himself  to 
be  life,  in  the  sense  that  he  introduces  men  to  the  higher  divine  life  which  is 
eternal,  11:25.  The  evangelist  has  described  him  as  the  source  of  truth,  1:17, 
and  Jesus  has  promised  the  knowledge  of  the  truth  to  those  who  abide  in  his 
word,  8:32.  He  now  declares  himself  to  be  life  and  truth,  at  the  same  time 
describing  himself  as  the  way  by  which  alone  men  can  come  to  God.  The  common 
point  of  emphasis  in  these  three  ways  of  putting  the  religious  significance  of  Jesus 
is  that  only  through  him  can  men  attain  salvation,  whether  it  be  conceived  as  the 
divine  life,  or  as  the  apprehension  of  truth,  or  as  finding  God.  Vs.  7 :  in  what 
sense  is  it  true  that  Jesus  has  definitely  added  to  our  knowledge  of  God  ?  Is  it 
in  simple  fact  easier  to  find  God  and  to  know  him  than  it  was  before  Jesus  lived 
and  taught  ? 

Twelfth  day. — Read  John  14:8-11.  Notice  that  the  discourse  here  has  some- 
thing of  the  form  of  a  dialogue;  Peter,  Thomas,  Philip,  and  Judas  (not  Iscariot) 
successively  question  Jesus  (13:36;  14:5,  8,  22).     "The  answer  to  Philip  at  the 

supper  may  be  regarded  as  the  central  theme  of  the  whole  Gospel Jesus 

himself  is  the  revelation,  and  according  as  men  know  him,  through  a  living 
fellowship,  they  attain  to  the  knowledge  of  God"  (Scott).  With  vs.  10  compare 
7:16  and  8:29:  Jesus'  filial  dependence  upon  God  is  brought  out  in  these  verses. 
Vs.  11:  faith  here  is  not,  as  in  the  earlier  Gospels,  the  condition  of  Jesus' 
mighty  works,  but  their  result.  Yet,  as  elsewhere  in  this  Gospel,  faith  based 
on  Jesus'  works  is  inferior  to  faith  inspired  by  association  with  him.  Is  faith 
in  this  Gospel  more  like  intellectual  assent  to  doctrine  than  like  personal  depend- 
ence upon  God  ?    That  is,  is  it  belief  rather  than  trust  ? 

Thirteenth  day. — Read  John  14:12-14.  The  departure. of  Jesus  is  to  lead 
to  his  return  as  a  spiritual  presence  in  the  hearts  of  his  followers,  and  thus  endowed 
they  will  carry  on  his  work  with  even  greater  power.  This  suggests  that  the 
wonders  of  Jesus  in  this  Gospel — feeding  multitudes,  making  water  wine,  giving 
sight  to  the  blind,  raising  the  dead — may  be  regarded  as  symbolic  of  the  later 


JESUS'  FULLER  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  29 

spiritual  achievements  of  his  followers.  This  new  endowment  of  Jesus'  presence 
will  give  the  Christians'  prayers  the  efficacy  of  Jesus'  own,  since  he  will  in  effect 
be  speaking  through  them  to  his  Father;  cf.  11:42. 

Fourteenth  day. — Read  John  14:15-21.  To  those  who  love  and  follow  Jesus 
he  will  send  another  helper,  the  spirit  of  truth,  who  shall  abide  with  them  and 
reside  in  them.  It  might  seem  that  this  being,  so  objectively  spoken  of,  must  be 
someone  other  than  Jesus  himself,  but  this  impression  is  immediately  corrected 
by  vs.  18:  "I  come  unto  you,"  and  a  little  later  in  vs.  21 :  "I  will  reveal  myself 
unto  him."  The  promised  helper  is  to  be  Jesus'  own  spiritual  presence.  This 
promise  is  made,  not  only  to  the  disciples  present  at  the  Supper,  but  to  anyone 
who  afterward  should  know  and  follow  Jesus'  teaching;  cf.  20:296. 

Fifteenth  day. — Read  John  14:22-24.  The  earlier  apocalyptic  idea  of  Jesus' 
return  had  represented  it  as  a  spectacular  event  manifest  to  all  the  world.  But 
the  teaching  here  presented  is  that  the  world  will  not  behold  the  presence  of  the 
returning  Jesus,  vs.  17.  Judas'  question  relates  to  this  difference.  Jesus  again 
affirms  that  he  and  his  Father  will  come  and  dwell  as  a  permanent  inward  presence 
in  those  individual  hearts  that  love  him.  Others  are  neither  capable  nor  desirous 
of  receiving  him,  vs.  24.  Again,  in  this  verse  as  in  7: 16  and  14: 10,  Jesus  declares 
his  filial  dependence  upon  his  Father  for  his  message.  Luke  is  the  only  one  of 
the  earlier  evangelists  to  mention  this  Judas  among  the  apostles  (Luke  6: 16). 

Sixteenth  day. — Read  John  14:25-31.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  Gospel  here 
identifies  the  coming  of  the  Spirit  with  the  return  of  Jesus  to  the  world  as  a  spiritual 
presence  in  the  hearts  of  his  followers,  describing  it  variously  as  the  sending  of 
the  helper  or  comforter,  his  own  coming  unto  them,  and  even  the  coming  of  his 
Father  and  himself  to  stay  with  those  who  love  him.  This  spiritual  presence  will 
revive  and  perpetuate  Jesus'  teaching,  and  in  the  expectation  of  its  speedy  coming 
the  disciples  are  urged  to  tranquillity  and  peace.  Vss.  28,  31  again  emphasize 
the  subordination  of  Jesus  to  his  Father,  and  vs.  29,  like  13 :  19  above,  calls  atten- 
tion to  his  power  of  prediction  incident  to  his  supernatural  knowledge. 

Seventeenth  day. — Read  John  15: 1-10.  This  allegory  is  the  nearest  approach 
to  a  parable  which  the  teaching  of  Jesus  in  this  Gospel  contains.  Certainly  it  is 
quite  unlike  the  parables  of  the  earlier  Gospels,  and  it  may.  more  properly  be 
called  an  allegory.  It  teaches  the  significance  of  Jesus  as  the  source  of  life. 
Spiritual  fruitfulness  is  dependent  upon  vital  union  with  him,  and  life  is  viewed 
as  a  higher  kind  of  existence  which  can  be  attained  only  through  mystical  union 
with  Jesus,  the  giver  of  life. 

Eighteenth  day. — Read  John  15 :  n-16.  The  relation  of  Jesus  to  his  followers 
is  here  reinterpreted  as  that  of  friendship,  for  he  has  shared  with  them  his  knowl- 
edge of  his  Father's  will.  The  Gospel's  habitual  emphasis  upon  knowledge 
reappears  here.  Jesus'  death  is  now  interpreted  as  endured,  not  as  in  Paul's 
letters  to  atone  for  men's  sins,  but  for  the  sake  of  his  friends,  to  whom  it  more 


30  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


fully  reveals  his  love  and  whom  it  binds  more  closely  to  him.  This  recalls  the 
figure  of  the  good  shepherd  laying  down  his  life  for  the  sheep,  10:11;  cf.  13:16. 

Nineteenth  day. — Read  John  15:17-21.  The  opposition  between  the  church 
and  the  world  again  appears.  The  ancient  world,  especially  in  the  first  and 
second  centuries,  altogether  misunderstood  the  church  and  credited  Christians 
with  cannibalism  and  other  monstrous  practices.  Before  the  end  of  the  first 
century  the  empire  had  begun  to  persecute  the  church.  The  language  of  this 
paragraph  is  colored  by  these  contemporary  experiences  of  the  church.  How  are 
they  explained  ?    Notice  again  the  importance  of  knowledge,  15:21. 

Twentieth  day. — Read  John  15:22-27.  The  revelation  of  Jesus,  attested  by 
his  signs,  has  opened  to  men  the  higher  divine  life;  in  rejecting  it  they  convict 
themselves  of  sin  in  a  far  deeper  sense  than  would  otherwise  have  been  possible. 
In  hating  him  they  have  in  effect  hated  God  who  is  revealed  in  him.  The  promised 
helper  or  comforter  is  now  described,  vs.  26,  as  proceeding  from  the  Father  and 
bearing  witness  to  Jesus.  Where  has  this  idea  of  witness  to  Jesus  appeared 
before  in  this  Gospel  ? 

Twenty-first  day. — Read  John  16: 1-7.  Notice  in  these  verses  the  atmosphere 
of  contemporary  persecution,  vs.  16,  the  emphasis  upon  knowledge,  vs.  3,  and 
upon  Jesus'  power  of  prediction,  vs.  4;  cf.  13:19;  14:29.  Again,  as  in  14:12,  16, 
Jesus'  departure  must  precede  the  coming  of  the  helper,  vs.  7.  Jesus  speaks  now 
of  sending  the  helper,  now  of  coming  himself. 

Twenty-second  day. — Read  John  16 : 8-15.  These  verses  set  forth  the  influence 
of  the  Spirit  which  is  to  come,  upon  the  world  and  upon  Jesus'  followers.  To  the 
world  it  will  so  vindicate  Jesus'  claims  that  the  world  will  recognize  its  sin  in 
rejecting  him,  together  with  his  righteousness  and  the  judgment  which  the  world 
has  through  his  presence  in  it  passed  upon  itself.  To  Jesus'  followers  the  helper 
will  come  as  the  spirit  of  truth,  enlightening  them  so  that  they  shall  gain  larger 
vision  of  truth  and  deeper  insight  into  the  mind  and  teaching  of  Jesus.  This 
thought  of  the  progressive  development  of  the  Christian  consciousness  is  one  of 
the  great  ideas  of  this  Gospel.  What  is  the  basis  of  condemnation  in  the  judg- 
ment as  here  stated,  vs.  9  ?  What  is  it  in  the  picture  of  the  judgment  given  in 
Matt.  25:45? 

Twenty-third  day. — Read  John  16:16-24.  This  strangely  repeated  emphasis 
upon  the  " little  while"  that  is  to  intervene  between  Jesus'  death  and  his  return 
to  stay  with  his  disciples  is  highly  significant  in  John,  for  it  means  that  Jesus' 
resurrection  is  virtually  his  final  return  to  his  disciples  as  the  helper  or  spirit  of 
truth  to  abide  as  a  spiritual  presence  in  their  hearts.  The  resurrection,  the 
coming  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  return  of  Christ  are  thus  identified  in  John.  Why 
will  no  one  be  able  to  take  the  disciples'  joy  from  them,  vs.  22  ?  Why  will  they 
ask  Jesus  no  further  question  in  that  coming  day  ?  Why  will  all  their  prayers  in 
his  name  be  answered,  vss.  23,  24? 


JESUS'  FULLER  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  31 

Twenty-fourth  day. — Read  John  16:25-28.  In  contrast  with  the  figurative 
language  in  which  these  discourses  are  cast,  the  voice  of  Jesus'  Spirit  in  the  Chris- 
tian consciousness  is  clear  and  distinct.  With  vs.  26  cf.  14:14;  15:7;  16:23. 
Again  the  great  ideas  of  the  love  of  God  and  the  continued  presence  of  Christ 
are  emphasized. 

Twenty-fifth  day. — Read  John  16:29-33.  Where  else  in  this  Gospel  has  this 
thought  of  the  supernatural  knowledge  of  Jesus  been  expressed  ?  Cf.  1 :48;  2: 25; 
4:18,  39,  etc.  Vs.  32  expresses  Jesus'  consciousness  of  God  as  a  sustaining 
presence.  Notice  again  the  thought  of  peace  so  finely  characteristic  of  this 
Gospel;  cf.  14:1,  27.  Again,  as  often  before,  the  little  group  of  disciples  rep- 
resenting the  church  is  silhouetted  against  the  dark  background  of  a  hostile 
world.  But  Jesus  in  his  own  life  has  won  a  moral  victory  over  the  world  which 
guarantees  his  ultimate  spiritual  triumph  over  it. 

Twenty-sixth  day. — §  23.  Jesus'  prayer  for  his  disciples:  John  17:1-26. 
Read  John  17:1-5.  This  intercessory  prayer  marks  the  culmination  of  Jesus' 
work;  he  now  declares  it  finished.  The  hour  is  come.  The  honoring  or  glorify- 
ing of  the  Son  describes  the  approaching  death  of  Jesus  in  one  of  its  aspects. 
Cf.  13:31.  Life  is  again  described  in  vs.  3  in  terms  of  knowledge.  How  is  this 
knowledge  defined?  The  earlier  apocalyptic  conception  had  been  that  Jesus 
would  return  on  the  clouds  to  do  his  proper  messianic  work.  What  bearing  does 
vs.  5  have  upon  this  ? 

Twenty-seventh  day. — Read  John  17:6-11.  The  contrast  with  the  world  is 
again  sharply  drawn,  vs.  9.  With  vs.  10  compare  16:15.  Does  vs.  n  suggest 
that  the  church  is  in  some  sense  to  take  the  place  of  Jesus  in  the  world  ?  Does 
this  imply  an  exalted  idea  of  its  dignity  and  misson?  Yet  the  disciples'  great 
heritage  from  Jesus  was  not  an  institution,  but  an  inward  spirit  of  peace  and 
love;  cf.  14:27.  Notice  the  emphasis  upon  the  unity  of  the  church;  cf.  10:16; 
11:52.  This  is  of  course  primarily  a  spiritual  unity.  Does  it  also  imply  anything 
as  to  the  developing  organization  of  the  church  in  the  writer's  day,  e.g.,  the 
system  of  presbyters  (or  bishops)  and  deacons  that  had  replaced  the  primitive 
want  of  organization?    cf.  I  Cor.  12:28. 

Twenty-eighth  day. — Read  John  17:12-19.  The  followers  of  Jesus,  like 
him,  enjoy  a  higher  life;  they  are  not  of  this  world,  vs.  16.  Jesus  consecrates 
himself  or  devotes  himself  to  death  that  his  followers  may  be  the  more  fully  con- 
secrated to  God,  vs.  19.  Does  vs.  16  apply  to  the  disciples  as  the  first  of  those 
who  are  to  guide  the  church  and  after  them  to  those  who  become  its  later  leaders  ? 
Cf.  15:27;  20:21. 

Twenty-ninth  day. — Read  John  17:20-24.  These  words  foreshadow  the 
wider  Christian  circle  of  the  writer's  day,  wilted  into  one  through  Jesus'  devotion 
of  himself  in  his  death,  vss.  20,  21;  cf.  10:16;  11:52.  Here,  as  in  10:15,  16,  the 
unifying  of  all  that  believe  is  connected  with  Jesus'  death;  cf.  vs.  19,  above,  and 


32  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


12:32,  33-  The  thought  that  Jesus'  followers  are  to  be  with  him  recalls  the 
beautiful  expression  of  the  Christian  hope  in  14:3.  Jesus'  death  appears  in  John 
as  his  release  from  the  limitations  of  time  and  place  which  the  incarnation  had 
imposed  upon  him,  so  that  .instead  of  being  with  one  little  group  of  disciples  only, 
Jesus  by  virtue  of  his  divine  nature  can  after  his  death  be  present  in  the  heart  of 
each  of  his  followers  on  earth  and  also  be  with  those  who  have  passed  on  into  the 
house  of  many  abodes.  That  is,  this  Gospel  connects  the  whole  influence  of  the 
Spirit  of  God  in  the  human  heart  with  the  personality  of  Jesus. 

Thirtieth  day. — Read  John  17:25-26.  In  these  verses  notice  the  emphasis 
upon  knowledge  and  love.  Jesus  alone  knew  God  and  revealed  him.  As  a 
divine  presence  he  will  still  communicate  this  revelation  to  his  followers  and  thus 
awaken  the  divine  love  in  their  hearts.     Cf.  I  John  4: 19. 

What  are  the  leading  ideas  of  this  farewell  discourse,  chaps.  14-16  ?  How 
does  it  compare  with  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  ?  Cf.  Matt,  chaps.  5,  6,  7.  Is 
it  as  varied,  ethical,  and  practical?  Is  it  more  meditative,  mystical,  and  theo- 
logical? What  are  the  leading  thoughts  in  the  intercessory  prayer,  chap.  17? 
How  does  it  compare  with  the  Lord's  Prayer,  Matt.  6:0-13  ? 

QUESTIONS   FOR  REVIEW 

i.  Name  some  of  the  peculiar  features  of  the  narrative  of  the  Last  Supper  as 
described  by  the  author  of  the  Gospel  of  John. 

2.  In  what  connection  does  the  idea  of  the  supernatural  nature  of  Jesus,  so 
prevalent  in  this  narrative,  appear  in  this  chapter  ? 

3.  What  lesson  is  drawn  here  from  the  lesson  of  the  feet-washing,  and  how 
do  you  interpret  vs.  14? 

4.  Describe  the  scene  and  the  incidents  presented  in  13:24-30. 

5.  In  the  great  discourse  beginning  with  13:31,  what  does  Jesus  declare  to  be 
the  sign  by  which  Christians  shall  be  known  ? 

6.  What  strong  doctrine  of  the  earliest  Christians  and  of  Paul  shows  modifi- 
cation in  14:1-4? 

7.  In  view  of  vs.  6  name  some  reasons  why  it  is  easier  to  find  God  now  than 
before  Jesus  lived  and  taught. 

8.  What  is  the  peculiarity  in  form  in  the  contents  of  chap.  14? 

9.  What  is  the  central  Leaching  of  this  chapter  ? 

10.  What  is  the  teaching  of  Jesus  as  to  the  prayers  of  his  followers  as  pre- 
sented in  this  chapter  ? 

11.  Under  what  conditions  is  the  future  presence  of  God  and  Jesus  in  the 
world  to  continue  ? 

12.  How  closely  in  this  chapter  does  Jesus  identify  himself,  God,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit  ? 

13.  What  is  an  allegory  ? 


JESUS'  FULLER  REVELATION  OF  HIMSELF  33 

14.  Why  is  that  a  better  name  than  parable  for  chap.  15  ? 

15.  What  is  the  lesson  of  this  allegory? 

16.  How  does  the  doctrine  of  Jesus'  death  differ  in  this  Gospel  from  the 
doctrine  of  the  atonement  which  has  come  down  to  us  from  Paul  ? 

17.  How  does  the  author  account  for  the  persecutions  in  the  midst  of  which 
the  church  of  his  time  then  w^as  ? 

18.  Where  has  the  idea  of  the  witness  of  Jesus  suggested  in  vss.  26,  27  appeared 
before  in  this  Gospel  ? 

19.  What  are  the  leading  thoughts  in  Jesus'  prayer? 

20.  These  chapters  have  brought  comfort  to  Christians  through  all  the 
centuries  since  they  were  written.  Has  your  study  of  them  made  them  more  or 
less  practically  helpful  to  you  ?    Why  ? 


34  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


STUDY  V 

THE  DEPARTURE  AND  RETURN  OF  JESUS  (18:1—21:25) 

First  day. — §24.  The  arrest  of  Jesus:  18:1-14.  Read  John  18:1-6.  The 
betrayal  has  already  been  foreshadowed  in  13:2,  21,  26-30.  What  characteristic 
elements  in  this  Gospel's  view  of  Jesus  are  emphasized  in  this  account  of  the 
betrayal  ?  Notice  that  the  Gospel  of  John  contains  no  account  of  the  agony  in 
Gethsemane.  Would  such  an  account  have  contributed  to  the  picture  of  Jesus 
as  this  evangelist  conceived  him  ? 

Second  day. — Read  John  18:7-11.  Even  in  the  hour  of  his  betrayal  and 
arrest  Jesus  appears  the  master  of  the  situation,  solicitous  only  for  the  safety  of 
his  disciples.  What  was  their  behavior,  according  to  Matthew  and  Mark? 
How  is  it  described  here  ?  How  does  the  evangelist  interpret  this  escape  of  the 
disciples  ?  We  have  seen  that  he  likes  to  dwell  on  the  fulfilments  of  Jesus'  sayings. 
Is  the  reference  to  John  17:12  ?  The  evangelist  says  the  swordsman  was  Peter, 
and  that  his  victim's  name  was  Malchus.  Is  vs.  1  ib  a  reflection  of  the  Gethsemane 
story  of  the  earlier  Gospels?  Cf.  Mark  14:36  and  parallels.  How  does  this 
account  of  the  betrayal  and  arrest  differ  from  the  accounts  in  the  earlier  Gospels, 
Matt.  26:47-56;  Mark  14:43-52;  Luke  22:47-53? 

Third  day. — Read  John  18:12-14.  This  preliminary  examination  of  Jesus 
before  Annas,  the  ex-high  priest,  is  not  mentioned  in  the  earlier  Gospels.  Outside 
of  this  chapter  Annas  is  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament  only  in  the  writings 
of  Luke  (Luke  3:2;  Acts  4:6).  Why  should  the  fact  that  Annas  was  the  high 
priest's  father-in-law  explain  Jesus'  being  led  to  Annas  first  ?  The  high  priesthood 
had  long  since  ceased  to  be  hereditary  and  had  become  appointive.  Annas  held  it 
from  6  to  15  a.d.  One  of  his  sons  held  it  for  a  short  time  about  16  a.d.,  and  in 
18  a.d.  Caiaphas  was  appointed  to  it.  He  was  succeeded  in  36  a.d.  by  another 
son  of  Annas  and  he  in  turn  in  37  by  another.  It  may  be  that  Annas,  though 
not  in  office  at  this  time,  was  the  power  behind  the  high  priest  in  the  year  of  Jesus' 
arrest.  At  any  rate,  his  experience  and  influence  would  make  it  natural  for  a 
preliminary  examination  to  take  place  before  him.  On  the  counsel  of  Caiaphas, 
cf.  John  11:49-52. 

Fourth  day. — The  Jewish  examination  of  Jesus,  and  Peter's  denial:  18: 15-27. 
Read  John  18:15-18.  The  first  of  Peter's  denials  foretold  by  Jesus  (13:38) 
takes  place  in  the  court  of  Annas'  house,  to  which  Peter  has  been  admitted  through 
the  interest  of  another  follower  of  Jesus  who  is  acquainted  there.    There  is  no 


THE  DEPARTURE  AND  RETURN  OF  JESUS  35 

reason  to  identify  him  with  the  beloved  disciple  who  is  sometimes  mentioned  in 
John,  for,  if  he  were  meant,  the  evangelist  would  probably  have  made  the  fact  clear. 
The  Fourth  Gospel  is  simply  explaining  how  it  came  about  that  Peter  was  allowed 
to  enter  the  court  of  Annas'  house.  Annas  is  now  spoken  of  as  high  priest,  vss.  15, 
16;  ci.  vss.  19,  22,  24. 

Fifth  day. — Read  John  18:19-24.  Annas  is  again  spoken  of  as  high  priest, 
perhaps  because  he  had  once  held  the  office.  The  private  examination  of  Jesus 
in  the  dead  of  night  was  not,  however,  in  accordance  with  Jewish  legal  procedure. 
Jesus  replies  with  great  boldness,  refusing  to  help  his  enemies  and  challenging  them 
to  find  their  witnesses  among  those  who  have  heard  his  many  public  utterances  in 
synagogue  and  temple.  Even  when  brutally  struck  and  reproved  by  a  constable, 
he  answers  with  a  skilful  and  confident  rebuke.  This  attitude  of  superiority  to  his 
judges  characterizes  Jesus  in  the  account  of  his  trial  in  John. 

Sixth  day. — John  18: 25-27.  The  evangelist  does  not  ordinarily  record  what 
already  stood  in  the  earlier  Gospels  without  some  reason  for  repeating  it  or  remold- 
ing it.  How  does  his  account  of  Peter's  denials  differ  from  that  of  the  synoptists  ? 
Why  has  he  included  these  in  his  narrative  ?  How  do  they  contribute  to  it  ?  Is 
it  because  they  so  strikingly  fulfil  Jesus'  prediction  in  13:38?  What  is  the 
evangelist's  general  attitude  toward  the  disciples?  Cf.  18:8  with  Mark  14:50; 
Matt.  26:56. 

Seventh  day. — §25.  The  trial  before  Pilate:  18:28 — 19:16.  Read  John 
18:28-32.  The  trial  before  the  actual  high  priest,  Caiaphas,  which  is  recorded 
in  Matthew  and  Mark,  is  passed  over  in  John;  cf.  vss.  24,  28.  Jesus  is  sent  by 
Annas  to  Caiaphas  and  by  Caiaphas  to  Pilate,  the  Roman  procurator.  Jesus' 
trial  before  the  Sanhedrin  is  not  even  mentioned.  Does  the  evangelist  pass 
over  these  matters  because  they  were  familiar  enough  to  his  readers  from  the 
earlier  Gospels  or  oral  tradition,  or  because  they  did  not  contribute  to  the  ideas 
which  it  was  the  purpose  of  his  Gospel  to  set  forth,  or  both  ?  Notice  that  the 
Passover  has  not  yet  been  celebrated,  vs.  28.  What  sayings  of  Jesus  recorded 
in  this  Gospel  indicate  the  manner  of  his  death  ?  The  Jews,  when  they  had  the 
right  to  put  to  death,  executed  men  by  stoning,  the  Romans  by  crucifixion.  If 
the  Romans  were  to  execute  him,  it  meant  crucifixion.  Which  form  of  execution 
is  reflected  in  passages  like  3: 14;  8:28;  12:32,34? 

Eighth  day. — Read  John  18:33-380.  The  masterful  attitude  of  Jesus  con- 
tinues to  the  end.  Is  his  attitude  here  one  of  confident  superiority,  or  of  silent 
contempt  or  indifference  ?  Does  he  deny  that  he  is  a  king  ?  What  is  his  earthly 
mission?  "Every  one  that  is  of  the  truth  heareth  my  voice."  Where  else  in 
this  Gospel  has  a  similar  idea  been  expressed  ? 

Ninth  day. — Read  John  18:386-40.  What  is  Pilate's  verdict  upon  Jesus' 
case  ?  Upon  whom  does  the  narrative  place  the  responsibility  for  the  condemna- 
tion of  Jesus  ? 


S6  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


Tenth  day. — Read  John  19: 1-9.  The  Jews  remain  outside  the  gentile  dwell- 
ing, to  avoid  ceremonial  defilement  which  would  unfit  them  for  eating  the  Passover 
supper;  cf.  18:28.  Pilate  has  in  consequence  to  pass  in  and  out  between  his 
judgment  hall  and  the  Jews  outside.  The  crown  and  purple  which  the  soldiers 
put  on  Jesus  in  caricature  of  his  royal  claims  serve  in  this  Gospel  (vs.  5)  to 
emphasize,  the  kingly  dignity  with  which  he  goes  through  his  trial.  Even  Pilate 
is  alarmed  at  what  he  sees  and  hears  about  his  prisoner,  vs.  8. 

Eleventh  day. — Read  John  19:10-16.  At  the  decisive  moment  of  his  trial 
Jesus  is  still  the  master  of  his  fate,  and  behaves  more  like  the  judge  of  his  enemies 
than  like  their  prisoner,  vs.  11.  In  the  view  of  the  evangelist  Jesus'  very  enemies 
are  simply  carrying  out  a  program  which  he  himself  had  already  voluntarily 
accepted,  and  which  they  could  enter  upon  only  when  his  own  time  for  it  was 
come,  and  he  even  gave  the  word  for  its  commencement;  cf.  8 :  20;  12 :  23 ;  13 :  27. 
Notice  Pilate's  repeated  efforts  to  secure  his  release;  cf.  18:31-38;  19:4,  5,  12. 
This  sets  in  high  relief  the  insistent  hostility  of  the  Jewish  leaders.  How  would  this 
affect  the  opposition  between  church  and  synagogue  in  the  evangelist's  day  ?  The 
narrative  once  more,  vs.  14,  emphasizes  the  fact  that  the  Passover  supper  is  to  take 
place  in  the  evening,  in  contrast  with  Mark's  statement  that  it  had  taken  place  on 
the  previous  night,  Mark  14:12-17.  The  evangelist  gives  the  time  of  Jesus' 
conviction  as  noon,  vs.  14:  "It  was  about  the  sixth  hour,"  although  Mark 
describes  the  crucifixion  as  taking  place  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  Mark 
15:25.  Is  the  evangelist  unacquainted  with  Mark's  statement,  or  is  he  seeking 
to  correct  it  ? 

Twelfth  day. — §26.  The  crucifixion:  19:17-30.  Read  John  19:17-22. 
What  does  this  account  of  the  crucifixion  add  to  those  of  the  earlier  Gospels? 
How  does  the  evangelist's  statement  that  Jesus  went  forth  carrying  his  cross 
for  himself  contribute  to  his  picture  of  Jesus'  attitude  toward  his  death  ?  Some 
Gnostic  Christians,  holding  that  the  Son  of  God  could  not  experience  death, 
had  a  legend  that  Simon  of  Cyrene  (cf.  Mark  15:21)  was  crucified  in  Jesus'  stead. 
How  does  vs.  35  bear  upon  that  idea?  This  Gospel  says  nothing  about  the  men 
crucified  with  Jesus  except  that  there  were  two  of  them,  and  that  Jesus  was  placed 
between  them.  What  interest  has  this  bare  fact  for  the  evangelist  ?  In  spite  of 
his  enemies,  Jesus'  very  cross,  vss.  19,  21,  proclaims  the  dignity  they  had  denied 
him.  Is  the  mention  of  the  three  languages  in  vs.  20  another  hint  of  the  universalism 
characteristic  of  this  Gospel  ?  Cf .  1 2 :  32.  Vs.  22  is  one  of  those  dramatic  touches 
in  which  this  Gospel  is  so  rich;  cf.8:58;  11:35;  18:38;  19:5,14. 

Thirteenth  day. — Read  John  19 :  23,  24.  How  does  this  account  of  the  parting 
of  Jesus'  garments  among  the  soldiers  differ  from  that  of  the  earlier  Gospels? 
Are  there  many  Old  Testament  quotations  in  this  Gospel  ?  The  evangelist  finds 
in  this  incident  a  remarkable  fulfilment  of  the  psalmist's  account  of  the  experiences 
of  God's  chosen,  Ps.  22 :  18.    Even  the  soldiers  in  their  coarse  greed  bear  involun- 


THE  DEPARTURE  AND  RETURN  OF  JESUS  37 


tary  witness  to  Jesus'  high  claims.  So  Pilate,  the  Jewish  leaders,  and  the  soldiers 
themselves  bear  unwitting  testimony  to  Jesus'  royal  dignity  and  divine  and  uni- 
versal mission. 

Fourteenth  day. — Read  John  19:25-27.  Who  were  the  women  at  the  cross, 
according  to  the  earlier  Gospels  ?  There  is  nothing  in  them  to  indicate  that  Jesus' 
mother  ever  approved  his  work,  unless  it  be  possibly  in  such  touches  as  Luke 
2:19,  35.  What  other  references  to  Jesus'  mother  does  this  Gospel  contain? 
Cf.  2:3,  12.  It  has  already  been  pointed  out  that  the  mother  of  Jesus  may  in 
John  symbolize  the  older  Jewish  faith,  of  which  the  evangelist,  like  Matthew, 
believes  Christianity  to  be  in  a  real  sense  the  child.  How  would  this  apply  here  ? 
Would  it  mean  that  Jesus  in  his  death  virtually  commends  the  religious  heritage 
of  Judaism  to  such  followers  of  his  as  most  deeply  understand  and  appreciate 
him?  What  is  the  attitude  of  the  Fourth  Gospel  toward  the  Old  Testament? 
Cf.  4:22;    5:39;    10:35. 

Fifteenth  day. — Read  John  1% :  28-5^.  Notice  the  writer's  continued  emphasis 
upon  Jesus'  knowledge;  upon  the  idea  that  Jesus'  work  was  now  finished,  cf.  17:4; 
19:30;  and  upon  the  fulfilment  of  Scripture  in  the  manner  of  Jesus'  death,  cf. 
vs.  24  above.  Jesus'  cry  of  thirst  is  recorded  as  though  he  uttered  it  with  Ps.  69 : 2 1 
definitely  in  mind,  and  almost  as  though  he  said  it  in  order  to  bring  about  the 
fulfilment  of  the  psalmist's  words:  "In  my  thirst  they  gave  me  vinegar  to  drink." 
Jesus  thus  retains  the  mastery  over  his  situation  to  the  very  end,  with  his  last 
breath  declares  his  work  finished,  and  seems  of  his  own  volition  to  give  up  his 
spirit.  Does  this  agree  with  the  conception  of  his  supernatural  nature  so  often 
expressed  in  this  Gosoel  ?     , 

Sixteenth  day. — §27.  The  burial  of  Jesus:  19:31-42.  Read  John  19:31-34. 
The  piercing  of  Jesus'  side  is  related  to  establish  the  fact  of  his  death  against  the 
fantastic  theories  of  the  Docetics  who  thought  of  his  death  as  illusory.  But  it  has 
also  a  symbolic  interest.  "The  water  and  the  blood  that  issued  from  the  side  of 
Christ  typify  the  double  work  effected  by  him  and  the  two  sacraments  in  which 
it  is  appropriated  by  the  believer"  (Scott).     Cf.  I  John  5:6,  8. 

Seventeenth  day. — Read  John  19:35-37.  The  incident  is  strongly  emphasized 
by  the  evangelist.  He  solemnly  asserts  its  truth,  doubtless  in  contrast  to  the 
Docetic  speculations  on  the  subject  rife  in  his  day.  He  finds  an  added  import  in 
the  incidents  he  has  just  recorded,  in  that  both  were  foreshadowed  in  Scripture. 
Exod.  11:46,  with  Num.  0:12,  forbids  the  breaking  of  any  bone  of  the  Passover 
lamb.  It  will  be  remembered  that  this  Gospel  twice  refers  to  Jesus  as  the  Lamb  of 
God,  1 :  29,  36,  and  puts  his  death  upon  the  cross  on  the  day  and  almost  at  the 
very  hour  at  which  the  Passover  lambs  were  sacrificed.  The  piercing  of  Jesus' 
side  the  writer  connects  with  Zech.  12: 10,  which  he  quotes  in  a  form  unlike  either 
the  Hebrew  or  the  Greek  as  we  know  them.  The  same  interest  in  the  fulfilment 
of  Scripture  marks  the  earlier  accounts  of  the  crucifixion  in  Matthew,  Mark,  and 


38  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


Luke.  In  John  such  interest  is  mainly  exhibited  in  this  chapter,  and  the  Old 
Testament  influence  upon  this  Gospel  is  decidedly  less  than  is  the  case  with  the 
earlier  ones. 

Eighteenth  day. — Read  John  19:38-42.  Notice  that  Nicodemus,  the  influ- 
ential Pharisee  who  had  visited  Jesus  secretly  (3: 1-12),  is  associated  with  Joseph 
of  Arimathaea  in  the  pious  task  of  caring  for  the  body  of  Jesus.  Notice  that  the 
Gospel  is  intended  for  readers  to  whom  Jewish  burial  customs  are  unfamiliar. 
In  a  garden  near  the  place  of  crucifixion  was  a  new  and  unoccupied  tomb,  and 
as  there  was  not  time  before  the  Passover  evening  to  carry  Jesus'  body  to  a  perma- 
nent place  of  burial,  it  was  hurriedly  deposited  in  this  convenient  garden  tomb, 
because  it  was  nigh  at  hand.  The  Jews  highly  esteemed  such  pious  care  for  the 
dead,  and  having  performed  it  did  not  debar  men  from  eating  the  Passover  supper, 
Num.  9:10. 

Nineteenth  day. — §28.  The  empty  tomb:  20:1-10.  Read  John  20:1-10. 
What  Scripture  is  referred  to  in  vs.  9?  Is  the  reference  to  Ps.  16:10  or  to  Hos. 
6:2?  The  Fourth  Gospel  views  Jesus  as  a  supernatural  being  whom  death  would 
only  release  from  material  limitations  to  resume  his  original  higher  existence. 
What  is  its  teaching  as  to  the  condition  of  those  who  through  Jesus  have  entered 
upon  eternal  life  here  on  earth  and  then  experience  physical  death  ?  Does  the 
evangelist  condition  this  doctrine  of  eternal  life  upon  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  or  is 
the  resurrection  simply  the  manifestation  of  such  continued  spiritual  existence  in 
Jesus'  case  ?  Luke,  too,  records  Peter's  running  to  the  tomb,  but  says  nothing  of 
the  other  disciple,  Luke  24: 12.  How  does  this  bear  upon  the  view  that  the  other 
disciple  is  an  ideal  figure,  symbolizing  the  sympathetic,  spiritually  minded  believer 
of  after-days  (such,  for  example,  as  Paul),  who  could  have  drawn  from  Jesus  con- 
fidences which  the  actual  Twelve  dared  not  claim,  13:25;  whose  spiritual  insight 
makes  him  the  true  heir  of  the  religious  heritage  of  Judaism,  19: 27,  and  who  experi- 
ences the  resurrection  faith  without  waiting  to  see  Jesus  risen,  20:8  ?    Cf.  20: 29. 

Twentieth  day. — §  29.  The  return  of  Jesus:  20 : 1 1-29.  Read  John  20 : 1 1-18. 
The  appearance  of  Jesus  to  the  women,  Matt.  28:9,  10,  is  repeated  in  this  most 
touching  of  the  resurrection  narratives.  Except  in  this  passage,  vs.  12,  spirits, 
whether  demons  or  angels,  are  not  spoken  of  in  this  Gospel.  (The  occasional 
expression  "Thou  hast  a  demon  "  is  clearly  only  a  form  of  rebuke  or  condemnation.) 
They  seem  here  to  be  due  to  the  influence  of  Matt.  28:2,  Mark  16:5,  and  espe- 
cially Luke  24:4.  The  influence  of  Luke  may  be  seen  above  in  the  account  of 
Peter's  running  to  the  tomb,  vss^3-6;  cf.  Luke  24: 12.  Jesus  does  not  here,  as  in 
Matt.  28: 10,  promise  to  meet  his  disciples  in  Galilee,  but  sends  them  word  that  he 
is  about  to  ascend  to  his  Father.  His  forbidding  Mary  to  touch  him,  in  contrast  to 
his  later  commanding  Thomas  to  do  so,  20: 27,  is  explained  here  by  the  fact  that  he 
has  not  yet  ascended.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  to  be  the  thought  of  this  Gospel 
that  Jesus  after  appearing  to  Mary  ascended  to  God  and  then,  after  the  "little 


THE  DEPARTURE  AND  RETURN  OF  JESUS  39 

while"  so  much  emphasized  in  16: 16-19,  returned  to  his  disciples  to  remain  with 
them  forever.  Cf.  Matt.  28 :  20.  Or  is  the  "little  while"  the  interval  between  his 
■death  and  his  appearance  to  his  disciples  related  in  20 :  19  ?  Of  the  earlier  evangel- 
ists only  Luke  records  the  ascension.  Where  does  he  place  it  in  relation  to  the 
resurrection  appearances  of  Jesus?  Cf.  Luke  24:51.  Thus  while  Matthew 
describes  Jesus  as  returning  to  his  disciples  to  be  with  them  always,  Luke  speaks 
of  him  as  ascending  to  his  Father,  and  promising  to  send  the  Spirit  to  them.  How 
does  the  writer  of  John  harmonize  all  this?  Does  he  understand  that  Jesus' 
spiritual  presence  with  his  followers  began  with  his  resurrection  appearances  to 
the  disciples?  Cf.  16:16-24  and  the  notes  on  those  verses.  Were  the  resur- 
rection appearances  then  spiritual  experiences?  Paul  co-ordinates  his  vision 
of  Jesus  with  the  earlier  resurrection  experiences,  I  Cor.  15:5-8. 

Twenty-first  day. — Read  John  20: 19-23.  How  does  this  narrative  differ  from 
Luke  24:36-43  ?  It  is  the  added  elements  that  are  significant  for  the  evangelist's 
purpose.  Jesus  now  imparts  to  his  disciples  the  Holy  Spirit.  Why  had  he  not 
■done  this  before  ?  Is  it  because  in  his  earthly  life  of  human  limitation  he  could  not 
do  what  now,  restored  to  his  exalted  existence,  he  can  do  ?  Cf.  14: 16;  16: 7,  13, 
with  the  commission  of  the  disciples  as  the  leaders  of  the  church,  vs.  23 ;  cf.  15:27; 
17:18.  This  is  one  of  the  ecclesiastical  touches  in  the  Gospel,  reflecting  a  time 
when  the  church  had  come  to  be  definitely  conceived  as  an  established  institution, 
with  leaders  charged  with  a  priestly  function;  cf.  Matt.  18: 18. 

Twenty-second  day. — Read  John  20: 24,  25.  It  is  evident  that  Thomas  is  here 
representative  of  a  class  of  persons,  probably  those  who  found  the  resurrection 
iaith  difficult,  and  demanded  to  be  convinced  of  the  indubitable  reality  of  the 
resurrection. 

Twenty-third  day. — Read  John  20:26-29.  Notice  that  Jesus  does  not  forbid 
Thomas  to  touch  him  as  he  had  forbidden  Mary  (20:17).  Does  the  evangelist 
mean  that  he  had  in  the  meantime  ascended  and  was  now  returned  to  earth  to 
abide  with  his  disciples  ?  The  reference  to  Jesus'  hands  and  side  is  much  more 
than  a  way  of  saying  that  he  had  indeed  survived  the  experience  of  death;  it 
meant  that  in  returning  to  his  former  exalted  life  he  carried  with  him  from  his 
incarnation  the  personality  in  which  his  followers  had  come  to  know  him  on  earth. 
The  blessing  pronounced  on  those  who  have  not  seen  but  have  believed,  vs.  29, 
recognizes  the  inward  experience  of  fellowship  with  Jesus  which  is  to  be  experienced 
on  the  part  of  believers  of  later  days  as  of  equal  reality  and  validity  with  the 
resurrection  experiences  of  the  first  disciples.  It  thus  greatly  exalts  the  signifi- 
cance of  the  believers'  spiritual  experience,  and  at  the  same  time  confirms  the 
Gospel's  teaching  that  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  is  his  return  or  second  coming. 

Twenty-fourth  day. — §30.  Conclusion:  20:30,  31.  Read  John  20:30,  31. 
While  the  Gospel  sometimes  discredits  faith  based  upon  signs,  it  closes  with  a 
rather  favorable  reference  to  them  in  relation  to  the  calling  forth  of  faith,  and  with 


40  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


a  statement  of  the  purpose  of  the  book.  What  is  its  purpose  declared  to  be? 
Is  it  only  to  produce  belief  ?  What  is  the  content  of  this  belief  ?  Is  this  belief 
precisely  what  Paul  meant  by  faith  ?  Does  the  Christ  mean  in  this  last  sentence 
of  the  Gospel  just  what  it  did  to  the  Christian  churches  before  the  book  was 
written  ?  What  added  elements,  if  any,  has  this  Gospel  wrought  into  it  ?  What 
is  the  life  which  believers  in  Jesus  may  have?  What  other  elements  in  the 
evangelist's  purpose  have  you  observed  in  this  study  ot  his  Gospel  ? 

Twenty-fifth  day. — In  what  ways  has  this  Gospel  changed  the  early  Christian 
conception  of  the  personality  of  Jesus  ?  How  has  it  restated  his  religious  signifi- 
cance ?  What  significance  does  it  find  in  the  life  of  Jesus  ?  What  in  his  death  ? 
What  is  its  view  of  his  second  coming?  How  does  this  Gospel  relate  it  to  the 
descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit?  What  becomes  of  the  apocalyptic  expectations  of 
the  early  church  ?  What  is  the  judgment  ?  Does  the  Gospel  have  any  message 
as  to  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper  ?  Does  it  assign  any  authority  to  the  leaders 
of  the  church?  What  is  its  view  of  knowledge?  What  is  its  idea  of  sin?  of 
salvation?  Is  it  a  product  of  profound  religious  experience  and  reflection,  or 
simply  another  eyewitness  record  of  fact,  to  be  put  side  by  side  with  Mark  ? 

Twenty-sixth  day. — Do  you  find  in  John  any  influence  of  the  synoptists? 
of  the  teaching  of  Paul  ?  of  the  Alexandrian  symbolic  way  of  thinking  ?  What 
narratives  in  John,  if  any,  seem  to  you  best  understood  as  symbol  or  parable? 
Are  the  ideas  of  the  book  mainly  Greek  or  Jewish  ?.  What  are  some  of  its  great 
ideas  ?  Do  some  appear  in  the  Prologue  and  others  in  the  body  of  the  book,  or  do 
the  same  ideas  appear  and  reappear  throughout  ?  It  has  been  remarked  that  John 
is  a  Gospel  of  a  few  great  ideas,  to  each  of  which  the  evangelist  returns  again  and 
again.  Does  your  study  of  the  Gospel  accord  with  this?  It  has  been  pointed 
out  that  the  evangelist  deals  throughout  the  book  with  two  ideas  of  Jesus;  one 
philosophical  and  metaphysical:  he  is  the  eternal  divine  Logos;  one  religious  and 
ethical:  he  is  God's  wholly  faithful  and  obedient  son.  Which  of  these  do  you  find 
more  practically  helpful  ?  Do  power  and  love  attach  equally  to  each  ?  Paul 
conceived  Jesus  as  the  Messiah  of  Jewish  apocalyptic  expectation.  This  evangel- 
ist conceives  him  as  the  pre-existent  divine  Logos  of  Greek  philosophy.  Are  both 
of  these  ways  of  putting  the  religious  significance  of  Jesus  essential  elements  of 
Christian  truth,  or  is  either  of  them  such  an  essential  element  ? 
I  '  Twenty-seventh  day. — §31.  The  Epilogue:  21:1-25.  Read  John  21:1-14. 
This  chapter,  which  now  concludes  the  Gospel  of  John,  is  evidently  an  addition 
to  the  Gospel,  made  probably  when  it  was  put  forth  along  with  the  three  earlier 
Gospels.  We  may  suppose  that  so  bold  a  recast  of  earlier  Christian  ways  of 
putting  things  would  not  command  the  immediate  assent  of  churches  already 
attached  to  some  one  Gospel,  Matthew  about  Antioch,  Mark  in  the  vicinity  of 
Rome,  and  Luke  probably  about  the  Aegean.  It  was  evidently  in  consequence 
of  this  and  in  order  to  win  a  wider  acceptance  for  the  new  Gospel  that  John  was 


THE  DEPARTURE  AND  RETURN  OF  JESUS  41 

at  length  put  forth  not  as  a  competitor  of  the  others  but  along  with  them.  This 
fourfold  Gospel  won  friends  everywhere.  Vs.  24  shows  that  the  writer  of  the 
Epilogue,  who  was  doubtless  one  of  the  editors  of  the  fourfold  gospel  collection, 
is  not  identical  with  the  author  of  the  Gospel,  and  the  new  conclusion,  vs.  25, 
which  now  ends  the  book,  is,  as  we  shall  see,  even  more  appropriate  as  the  Finis  oi  the 
fourfold  Gospel.  The  motive  of  this  epilogue  is  then  to  meet  objections  that  may 
have  been  made  to  the  new  Gospel  as  originally  issued,  to  bring  the  Gospel  more 
into  harmony  with  its  companion  Gospels,  to  commend  it  to  their  adherents,  and 
to  enforce  its  message  by  a  strong  indorsement,  vs.  24.  John's  account  of  the 
closing  scenes  of  Jesus'  life,  we  have  seen,  is  more  like  Luke  than  Matthew.  In 
particular  John,  like  Luke,  places  Jesus'  reappearance  at  Jerusalem,  not,  like 
Matthew,  in  Galilee.  In  harmony  with  Matthew  an  account  of  a  Galilean 
reappearance  of  Jesus  is  now  added.  Seven  disciples  with  Peter  at  their  head  are 
fishing  on  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  The  beloved  disciple  is  the  first  to  recognize  Jesus, 
who  appears  on  the  shore.  This  made  three  appearances  of  Jesus  to  his  disciples, 
vs.  14,  but  only  by  omitting  his  appearance  to  Mary,  which  in  fact  makes  three 
appearances  without  this  one.  With  this  miraculous  catch  of  fish,  cf.  a  very 
similar  narrative  in  Luke  5:4-10.  The  breaking  of  bread  recalls  the  scene  at 
Emmaus,  Luke  24:30,  35. 

Twenty-eighth  day. — Read  John  21:15-23.  This  passage  includes  (1)  a 
recognition  of  the  leadership  and  the  pastoral  office  of  Peter,  more  in  harmony  with 
the  synoptic  representation  and  fitted  to  commend  the  enlarged  Gospel  to  those 
who  cherished  his  memory;  (2)  an  allusion  to  his  martyrdom,  as  foretold  by  Jesus, 
like  .those  of  James  and  John,  vss.  18, 19;  and  (3)  a  reference  to  the  beloved  disciple 
as  perhaps  to  tarry  till  Jesus'  coming.  This  seems  to  conceive  the  second  coming 
of  Jesus  in  the  manner  of  Paul  rather  than  in  that  of  the  body  of  this  Gospel,  but 
if  the  beloved  disciple  is  an  ideal  figure,  he  might  well  be  thought  of  as  never  to 
disappear  from  the  world. 

Twenty-ninth  day. — Read  John  21 :  24.  Such*  a  one  at  all  events,  the  Ephesian 
editors  declare,  was  the  writer  of  this  Gospel,  and  to  the  truth  of  his  testimony  and 
the  validity  of  his  experience  they  who  are  probably  his  pupils  and  successors 
bear  emphatic  witness.  He  exhibited  the  spiritual  insight  and  the  comprehending 
sympathy  with  the  mind  and  message  of  Jesus  of  which  the  beloved  disciple  is  the 
symbol  in  the  narrative  of  the  Gospel.  Had  he  or  such  another  been  at  Jesus' 
side,  his  words  and  spirit  would  have  been  more  quickly  and  clearly  understood 
than  they  were  by  the  dull  fishermen  and  publicans  who  actually  heard  his  words. 
Consider  from  this  point  of  view  the  other  references  to  the  beloved  disciple  in  the 
Gospel,  13:23;  19:26;  20:2  (where  a  different  Greek  word  for  "loved"  is  used), 
and  in  the  Epilogue,  21 : 7,  20. 

Thirtieth  day. — §  3  2 .  Read  John  21:25.  This  final  paragraph  of  the  Epilogue 
is  even  more  appropriate  as  the  conclusion  of  the  fourfold  Gospel,  Matthew,  Mark, 


42  THE  GOSPEL  OF  JOHN 


Luke,  John.  It  says  in  effect  to  those  who  had  previously  been  accustomed  to 
read  one  or  another  of  the.  earlier  Gospels,  do  not  wonder  at  finding  in  this  group 
of  Gospels  words  and  acts  of  Jesus  that  you  never  heard  of  before.  He  did  more 
things  than  even  these  four  narratives  contain,  and  if  all  he  did  were  recorded,  you 
would  be  overwhelmed  with  the  books  that  would  be  needed  to  contain  them. 

The  Gospel  which,  since  about  180  a.d.  at  least,  has  gone  by  the  name  of  John 
has  had  a  profound  influence,  first  upon  Christian  theology,  which  hastened  to 
enter  upon  the  Greek  lines  it  opened  to  it;  then  upon  Christian  devotion,  which 
found  the  evangelist's  lofty  and  beautiful  expression  of  his  Christian  experience 
and  hope  wonderfully  helpful  and  congenial;  and  finally  upon  the  making  of  the 
New  Testament  collection  into  which  entered  at  its  very  beginning  the  fourfold 
Gospel  of  which  John  formed  the  crown.  Historically  and  ethically  the  earlier 
Gospels  surpass  it,  but  no  Gospel  is  in  all  respects  supreme.  Mark  is  nearest  to 
the  facts  of  Jesus'  ministry,  Matthew  richest  in  his  teaching,  Luke  most  serious 
in  historical  purpose,  John  boldest  in  its  theological  recast  and  greatest  in  its 
spiritual  insight.  It  is  the  gospel  message  interpreted  in  the  light  of  Greek  thought 
and  Christian  experience.  It  is  above  all  the  Gospel  of  profound  religious  experi- 
ence, the  charter  of  the  privilege  of  inward  companionship  with  Jesus  of  all  those 
beloved  disciples  who  through  the  centuries  have  not  seen,  yet  have  believed. 

QUESTIONS  FOR  REVIEW 

i .  What  important  episode  in  the  story  of  the  arrest  of  Jesus  does  the  Gospel 
of  John  omit  ? 

2.  How  does  it  differ  from  other  Gospels  in  its  representation  of  the  attitude 
of  the  disciples  ? 

3.  Name  some  ways  in  which  the  impression  of  Jesus'  mastery  of  the  situation 
during  his  trial  is  given. 

4.  Mention  the  successive  steps  of  Jesus'  trial  as  related  in  this  Gospel. 

5.  What  omissions  in  the  account  do  you  find  as  compared  with  the  Synoptic 
Gospels  ? 

6.  Why  did  not  the  Jews  kill  Jesus  at  once,  without  trial  before  a  Roman 
official  ? 

7.  Why  was  the  manner  of  death  of  Jesus  crucifixion  ? 

8.  Why  did  not  the  Jews  themselves  take  Jesus  into  Pilate's  judgment  hall  ? 

9.  Was  the  attitude  of  the  Jews  that  of  religious  fanaticism  or  wanton  cruelty  ? 
Give  your  evidence. 

io.  Does  true  religion  in  this  day  suffer  from  fanaticism?    State  instances. 

11.  In  the  work  of  this  month  how  many  allusions  did  you  find  to  fulfilmei  t 
of  Old  Testament  prophecies. 

12.  Is  this  common  in  John? 


THE  DEPARTURE  AND  RETURN  OF  JESUS  43 

13.  Describe  the  impression  of  Jesus  which  you  receive  from  this  account  of 
his  arrest,  trial,  and  death. 

14.  How  does  this  Gospel  differ  from  the  others  in  the  relation  of  the  time 
of  Jesus'  death  to  the  time  of  the  Passover  supper  in  Jerusalem. 

15.  How  did  this  affect  the  character  of  the  Last  Supper  as  recorded  in 
chap.  13  ? 

16.  What  is  the  teaching  of  this  Gospel  concerning  the  resurrection  of  those 
who  die  in  Christ? 

17.  What  essential  difference  does  the  writer  of  the  Gospel  feel  between  the 
resurrection  of  Jesus  and  that  of  faithful  followers  of  Jesus? 

18.  In  the  thought  of  faithful  Christians  the  second  coming  of  Christ  was  an 
important  item.  Do  you  think  this  evangelist  looks  for  a  second  coming  ?  Give 
a  reason  for  your  answer. 

19.  What  event  does  chap.  21  record,  and  what  relation  has  this  chapter  to 
the  rest  of  the  Gospel  ? 

20.  What  is  the  greatest  thing  which  the  study  of  this  Gospel  has  contributed 
to  your  own  religious  thought  and  life  ? 


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MAY  3fi  m{      REC-P  LP 


NQV  26  1958 


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JAN  12  1946 


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dec  1 0  1966  8  0 


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LD  21-100m-7,'39(402s) 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


